The Wielder of BlackFire: Rose's Renaissance
by BlackDragonDiva
Summary: SEQUEL TO: The Legend Lives. There's a new enemy stalking toward the human world, determined to rule both Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma sends the Spirit Detectives off. To find their old partner. And Old enemy. Problem: She's not who she used to be...
1. Discovering a New Enemy

****

Warnings: none really.

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter One: Discovering a New Enemy

__

Sour gray stone walls moaned and ached, their foundations shaking as they slowly began to crumble, falling to their knees in utter submission to the force that coursed through them. They fell in a sea of their own dust, their sturdy, ashen, walls shattering for the first time in countless centuries. Nearly three square miles was covered in the rubble's dust, cloaking the trees and other foliage in a grinding, pallid, silk.

A humanoid-seeming creature stood atop a tall hill, overlooking the city that they had just destroyed. They smiled, an evil glint burning in the depths of their blank, demonic eyes. To think that a minor fraction of their power could do such a thing as destroy such a firm-standing city. They turned away, their dark smile gripping stubbornly to their lips.

'And one could just imagine what this power could do to the human world. Finally, we will rule the human and Spirit world, just as we were meant to,' the creature thought, walking away slowly with an extremely smug expression on their face. 'Finally, I have the power I deserve to rule all the worlds, just as we were destined to do.'

"Koenma, please, rethink what you are about to do!" a blue-haired girl said worriedly, her pink eyes pleading as she looked at the toddler-like ruler opposite her. The boy sat on an over-stuffed, red, chair behind a large wooden desk on which sat stacks of papers set aside to make room for ancient-looking books and documents. Scattered about the large room where mountains of carnivorous documents, threatening to topple over at any tremble.

"I have rethought what I am about to do, many times I'm afraid, yet this is the only solution I can come up with. I'm sorry, Botan, but its the only way to destroy this power," the toddler said, crossing his arms and wallowing his blue binky around in his mouth. His dark brown eyes expressed uneasiness, as well as knowing. It was the only way.

"NO!" she cried. "There must be some other way! What if he gets loose again?! What if she decides to release him for good? I can't allow you to do this!"

"Quiet, Botan," Koenma said with a slight snap. "You know that the power they posses is far greater than even Yusuke's. We have no other choice but to find her. If we don't, the human, the demon, and the Spirit World could all be destroyed."

"So what did Koenma say he wanted us for, Kurama?" a short, black-clad demon asked, his dark red eyes looking up at the red-head beside him.

"He didn't, I'm afraid. He just said to come as soon as we could and that he had a new mission for us," Kurama said, his soft green eyes looking straight ahead of him, down the long hall. There was a grunt from beside him.

"Perhaps he has a mission worth my time. All of the ones that he has given us lately have been too easy," the youkai said.

"Hm, yes, but I suppose that, in our case, that can be seen as a good thing, Hiei," the boy said as they walked into a large room filled with a colorful arrangement of ogres that ran to and fro, filling the room with guttural commands.

"Hn," was his answer as they approached two large, double doors. They paused a moment to swing them aside gently, stepping into the spacious room without sound.

The young ruler sat behind his large desk, hardly visible over its surface but for his large hat. He looked up at the sound of the door shutting softly behind the two. His face was worn, his eyes holding a forbidding look in them as he turned back to his papers, setting them aside as the two walked forward.

"Hiei, Kurama, thank you for coming on such short notice," he said, his voice not holding its usual cheeriness nor its seriousness that it gained when a mission was upon them. It was tired, strained, almost unrecognizable to the two, who glanced at each other in question.

"Is something you needed, Koenma?" Kurama asked as the boy sighed and shook his head.

"I need to ask you two to do something for me. I know that it will not be a happy request, but it needs to be done," he said sadly, his shoulders slumping.

"Spit it out, Koenma," Hiei said, lacking the respect that many would expect from him. After all, he was serving royalty. The child sighed, ignoring the rudeness as if it was an every-day occurrence. No doubt it was.

"I need you to go find someone. Someone we all know, but I don't know if the reunion will be a happy one for all. There is only one problem with this request. They might not remember you," Koenma said. The two standing before the desk looked at each other. Hiei, the shorter one of the two, growled under his breath.

"Koenma," Kurama intervened before Hiei had a chance to demand an answer out of the boy. "What's going on? Who is this person you want us to find, and why?"

"You might not have heard, but there is some demon that has been destroying major cities in the demon world. They claim that they have found a way to get to the human world, as well as the Spirit World, and vows to destroy both, letting demons overrun the Ningenkai while they rule from Spirit World. After slaughtering everyone that lives in both those places, of course," Koenma explained, ignoring Kurama's question. Hiei and Kurama looked at each other. They had never faced someone like that before. One who was trying to overtake all the worlds. Most did not dare take on so much. "So we're going to need help. Their power, at least what I know of it, surpasses even Yusuke's powerful Spirit Wave. I know it sounds impossible, but, I fear, its true." His voice grew low and sorrowful.

"Who do you want us to find, not that we need the help," Hiei said in a quiet grunt. Koenma's eyes drooped and he placed his elbows on his desk, holding his head with his hands.

"I need you to go get Thorn," he said.

Authoress' Notes: okay, so this chapter's a little out there on a limb, I know I know. But many promises, its not all like this! Well, the boy's and ladies might make brief appearances down here in my notes, but for the most part they're off partying since its nearly the end. Then I just have my last and final piece, which doesn't include any of them. oh! I don't think I've told ya'll about that. Yes, there will be a side story. Stuff leading up to the first story and everything anyone wants to know about Rose and BlackFire and the creation of Thorn. just because answering all yer questions inspired me! Anyway, reviews from last two chapters are….

**__**

Reviews:

Midnightdream51: busy busy! Which is why I haven't started this thing yet. . Horses take up so much time! Lol, I much the same when it comes to not doing things I put off. feather is coolio! And I needed comic relief BADLY, hence the stupidness of the random card game. Shouldn't they of have been training? Lol. Alright, I'm getting road runner soon, so hopefully that means chapter's will be pumped out faster, cuz I'll have it on my comp downstairs w/out time limits. .

****

Miyako14: I swear, I think my subconscious was/is plotting against me. Sequel here! tankies!

baka-chibi-puffs: [final chapter]lol! well, perhaps the last sentence in this chapter'll calm yer nerves about Hiei seein' Thorn again. And bad kitsune! -scolds Kurama- cheesecake is too good to throw at people!

[Epilogue] sequel is here! Enjoy more mysteriousness. All hail the cheese cake! Lol

Midnightdream51: -tear- no! you can't just leave! it's the SEQUEL! -sigh-

SSSRoaB: no, Rose is not dead. In fact, she got her old life back. Sorta. You'll find out next chappy, promise! . Lol. Here's the sequel, sorry it took so long getting up. I'm waiting for Road Runner to be installed, but knew I'd loose ya'll if I put it off any longer.

J: well now, there ya'll go for now. No teasers yet. Maybe next chapter. Until then!

REVIEWS FEED A STARVING ARTIST LIKE COOKIES!


	2. The Name of an Old Ally

****

Warnings: Hiei's OCCness?

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Two: The Name of an Old Ally

Both Hiei and Kurama gapped at the ruler, who cringed, clenching his pacifier grindingly between his teeth, and closed his eyes tightly, hoping to avoid the rude and, no doubt, painful, retort. When he received no answer after a few moments of stunned silence, he opened a tentative eye. When he saw the expression on their faces he lifted his head, dubbing the moment safe enough so that he might emerge and further explain this sticky situation.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiei growled suddenly, his once glazed red eyes suddenly bright with fury. In a flash he was in front of the ruler, grabbing the front of his shirt with a strong hand, his bright scarlet eyes baring into the toddler's own as he twisted the fabric mercilessly. Koenma's expression turned solemn and pained.

"Please, Hiei," he said, removing the youkai's hands from the front of his shirt. "Its the only answer I can think of. I know that you're skeptic of the idea because she was, at one time, our enemy, but you have to trust me, Hiei, with this demon's power, we're going to need all the help we can get." Kurama, who had recovered from his utter shock, stepped forward, glancing down at the fuming demon beside him.

"But Thorn doesn't exist anymore," the fox-demon said softly, trying not to upset Hiei any more than he already was, yet failing as the black-haired demon growled and clenched his fangs and fists beside him.

"But Yusuke told me that she could come back," Koenma said, confused. Kurama shook his head.

"No. I can tell he did not give you the details. Thorn forced both herself and the Black Blaze into a sleep that they could not awaken from unless the certain person who holds the code says the password. Or until Rose 'dies'. Then Thorn said she would awaken to remake her body, making her immortal. So, technically, Thorn does not exist," Kurama explained quietly. Hiei closed his eyes, intent on not showing the emotion that fought to break loose within him. "And neither does the Black Blaze. She said that only she could wake him, and told us that she did not wish to wake him ever again and Rose did not hold the needed password."

"But why?" Koenma questioned, now confused, looking up at the redhead intently.

"She wanted to assure the world that the Black Blaze would never come about again," the kitsune said.

"Well yes, Yusuke told me that, but why did she put herself into this sleep? I thought that she just got rid of his evil power," Koenma said. His eyes still held their sullen gleam, but interest sparked in them, as well as lost hope. Perhaps the girl would not be able to help them.

"It doesn't matter," Hiei growled softly. "Rose still holds her power, but her entire memory has been erased of the time we knew them."

"That is true," Kurama said, nodding. "She said that, with the proper training, Rose would be just as powerful as she, at least, physically. She said, actually, that if the world was ever in danger, that Rose would be a strong ally for you. That she would fight for what she believed was right. Perhaps she knew this day would come. Although, maybe, not so soon after she left, or she might have stayed." Koenma chewed on this thought a moment. Finally, he looked up at them, grim determination lining his features.

"Well, the mission will not be changed. Rose might not be as strong Thorn, but she still holds that power. We still might need her help," he said. Kurama nodded. Hiei remained silent, finally wrestling his expression into that of indifference.

"Then we will get Yusuke and Kuwabara and try to find her," the kitsune said quietly. Hiei was silent. Koenma shook his head.

"No, perhaps it would be better if I just send you two, so she doesn't feel threatened," the young ruler said, pondering over new possibilities on this mission.

"How are we going to find her?" Hiei asked, silently hoping he could throw a wrench in their plans. He didn't want to see her again. Thorn was dead, and Rose had taken her place. The body would be the same, but the girl wouldn't. She was no one he wanted to meet again. It would be much to painful to see her in that body, Thorn's body.

The other two in the room looked at him, Kurama trying to hide the sorrow he felt for his friend and Koenma thinking, his eyes not focusing on the youkai.

"No, I should be able to find her. It shouldn't be a problem," Koenma said. "We have her on record because she died, so finding her will be the easy part."

"What will be the hard part?" Hiei asked darkly.

"Convincing her to help us," the prince said, hopping down from his chair to walk over to a large filing cabinet marked 'Returned to Life'. He leapt up onto a stool and pulled out a middle drawer marked 'S', which was nearly even with Kurama's head, the cabinet was so tall, and began to quickly flip through the files.

"How do we approach her?" Kurama asked as he and Hiei watched the ruler skim through files.

"Hm. I was just thinking about that. Ah ha!" he cried triumphantly, pulling from the drawer a thin, cream-hued folder. He jumped down from his stool and carried it over to his desk, placing it atop a few open books and removing the documents from it.

"Hm. Let's see. According to this, she lives in America, which we already knew. But New York to be exact, in a small town called Tanglewood. She goes to the local high school there. Hm, it says here that when she died she was in eighth grade, which means she'll be in tenth grade now," Koenma explained, his brow knit in concentration. "Perhaps you two could be registered at her school and approach her there. It would make it much less conspicuous." He glanced up at the two, uneasiness hinting in his expression as he looked at Hiei, who was growling under his breath at the thought of mingling with humans. "As long as Hiei agrees to give up his sword and not kill anyone. It shouldn't take more than a week, I think, so it shouldn't matter." Kurama looked over at Hiei, who snorted and looked away.

"It would hardly be worth my energy to kill them," he grunted. "Just as long as they stay out of my way." Kurama stepped toward Koenma's desk.

"It think it would be wise if we both were entered in the same classes as her, this way, there is a better chance of at least one of us talking to her," he said. Koenma nodded, still eyeing Hiei uncertainly.

"Yes, I'll put you into as many of the same classes as her as possible. But I'll make sure that you both have the same schedule," he said, knowing that Kurama could help Hiei with his distemper toward ningens. "Well, I guess I should get to work them. You'll be sent to America tomorrow to attend classes on Monday," he said decidedly, dismissing them. They nodded and turned away as the toddler began rifling through other papers. Kurama closed the door softly before he and the youkai beside him began to walk back down the hall from which they had entered. They walked in silence, the bellowing from the working ogres behind them filling the void before fading away as they continued down the hall.

"Are you okay with this situation, Hiei?" Kurama asked. His voice echoed off the high ceiling, roughening the soft edges of his voice in its vast space.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked hotly with a touch of a growl.

"You know why, Hiei. This is a different person we'll be dealing with, not Thorn. I hope you realize that."

"I do, Kurama, and I know that this is a mission. I will not let the past interfere with it," he replied, his voice bland.

"You know it was a mission last time as well, and yet...." Kurama let his voice trail off, yet he clearly got his point across to his friend, and received a guttural rumble as an answer.

"I know," Hiei answered.

Authoress' Note: well! Here everyone goes! Wonderful new chapter! I'm going to try to be better about updating. I realize we have some new review's and it rocks! Its really encouraged me to keep this up. I realize that now that we know the Black Saga starts this Saturday, this story doesn't seem very plausible, but -shrug- hey, I've only read spoilers about the ending and so couldn't really have written it from there. Please bear with me as OCC on Hiei's part comes about. I'm going to try to edit this a bit to make it a bit more realistic. But, hey, this is fantasy! anyway, don't expect any real romance in this one folks, and no making-out. Sorry. it's a bit more depressing and frustrating. Especially for a certain fire-youkai! . Don't worry, you like real depression? The side story to this is coming along [second chapter complete!] and THAT'll be intensely depressing. Well, enjoy!

**__**

Reviews:

miyako14:

thank you! Glad to hear yer looking forward to this fic. It'll take a while to put up. But I don't think it'll be as long as LL. And the side fic will prolly be less than 10 chapters. I hope.. Lol. Thank you so much! [and yes, it made sense]

****

baka-chibi-puffs:

Lol! I swear yer the oddest reviewer ever! Not to say that's bad… because its not. Kurama, bad boy for dissin' the cake! Cheese cake rocks all the world, boya! -recieves cake- -sparkly eyes- yay! Nope, this conversation NEVER happened..

****

Gambit's Panther:

Thank you, new reviewer! Wonderful to see new names about! Thank you!

****

Hiei's1girl:

Thank ye! glad to see yer back! Here's an update fer ya!

****

Antwone:

why, thanks! Yeah, that last line comes into play later! Glad you liked it! Here's the sequel, and soon the side story! [once I get past… errr… the first… err… all of it. ] 0.0 why, thank you. Such compliments! Glad to see a new name to my reviewer list! Thanks!

****

Reallydizzy:

Yay! Snackies! I like food. I know my other fic shot down the story-line really bad. Actually, now that I think about it, I started writing it over a year ago! 0.0 -blink- wow. Back when we were JUST beginning the DT saga. Thank you for that wonderful review! Here's the next chappy fer ya'll!

J

REVIEWS FEED AN AUTHOR LIKE COOKIES!


	3. The New Kids: Shuichi Minamino and Blade...

****

Warnings: temper, temper!

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Three: The New Kids: Shuichi Minamino and Blade Tatsu

"Good morning, class!" A cheery voice sprang from the plump red lips of an exuberant woman, who stepped into the cozy classroom, books in hand, and looking over the ragged students before her. She received a bubbly laugh from a dark girl in front of her, who was twisted in her seat to talk to her friends behind her.

"Ahem," the teacher said loudly, giving the class an expectant look from over her thin glasses. With a final giggle, the girl turned around to face the front of the room while the teacher proceeded to do attendance.

A girl in the corner of the room watched scornfully as she sat by herself, in a cloud of superiority and abandonment. Her hair was long, falling past her waist in a rich, chocolate curtain. The girl was dressed simply in a snug black tee-shirt with blue-rimmed writing set off with dark azure flames licking toward the collar, where a black and silver necklace lay, silver claw-like metal pieces hanging from between thick black beads, reminding one of a prize an Indian warrior might take from a bear and burnish proudly, as well as plain blue flare jeans, which were long enough to nearly obscure her shinny black, leather boots. Her arms lay crossed on her desk, her feet beneath her chair, ankles crossed lazily as she sat on the edge of her chair. The five girls in the center of the room continued to whisper to one another. She ignored them heartily, although she heard bits and pieces of their loud and rambunctious conversation.

"...Two new guys...."

"...I saw them in the office..."

"...Heard they were cute..."

"...From Japan..."

"...Wonder if I have classes with them..."

The whispers continued, even as the teacher began the lesson. The boys in the room watched lazily on the right side of the room, closer to the windows so they would have something to stare at while the teacher droned.

"Now, who can decipher this line from Shakespeare?" the teacher asked, turning around from the chalk board and looking around the room. No answer. A boy in the second row began to fall asleep on his desk, his eyes drooping wearily.

"Anyone?" she questioned. Nothing. She sighed and turned back to the board. Hey, if the kids didn't want to hear what she was saying, let them fail the final, then she'll hear them coming to weep at her feet during summer school. "Well, he's trying to give us the image of-"

She was interrupted by a soft, yet firm knock on the classroom door. The girls in the center of the room continued to gossip as she put down her book and moved to answer it, taking only a second to glance toward the closed door before continuing their conversation, louder than before. The teacher opened the door, revealing two figures to the class, making the girls fall suddenly silent, looking over half-heartedly, pausing in their conversation out of sheer curiosity, although one girl still whispered softly.

"Oh!" the teacher exclaimed as a soft-spoken boy conversed with her. His hair was long, passing his shoulders by a good length and falling down his back. His eyes were a deep and startling emerald against the dark red of his silky mane. The figure beside the first stood back a bit, away from the prying eyes of the students.

The teacher turned back to the rest of the class.

"Class!" she said happily, clapping her hands to get their attention. They boy who had fallen asleep woke up groggily, startled from his dreams, blinking against the blare of the classroom lights. "It seems we have two new students!" she continued. She turned back to the two in the doorway.

"Please come in. My name is Mrs. Writeman and welcome to tenth grade English!" the teacher said happily, ushering them into the room. The second figure walked into the room behind his companion, acute eyes scanning the room, his expression blank. His tall black hair was spiked over his dark red eyes and white bandana. He was short, barely reaching the red-head's shoulder and was dressed all in black, with his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Class, this is Shuichi Minamino," Mrs. Writeman began, gesturing to the green-eyed boy, who nodded to the class, making the girls in front of him giggle. "And Blade Tatsu," she continued. The black-clad boy nodded in turn, a stern, honest movement. "Now. Let's see. Oh! Perfect! You boys can take the two seats in the back row, next to Rose." The two looked slightly to their right in the back of the room, toward a familiar-looking girl who brow was furrowed in confusion as she looked at them. As soon as they turned toward her, she snorted, raising her chin defiantly and loosing her former expression to twist her face into that of a blank glare. It looked to be her usual greeting the way she preformed it so fluidly. Shuichi glanced down at 'Blade', who glanced at him as well before moving to take a seat in the desk next to the girl.

__

Its her, Kurama, Hiei said through his telepathy, giving the girl an inspection from the corner of his eyes.

__

I know, Kurama thought, taking the seat beside the youkai. The teacher had proceeded to continue with the lesson while the girls who sat in front of the two new boys began to whisper more feverishly than before. The guys, who sat in a cluster to Kurama's right, returned to their ritual of staring out the windows and taking naps, unfazed by the two. The girl that sat next to Hiei, on his left, glanced at them as they sat down, but otherwise ignored them, pretending instead to focus on the lesson.

Suddenly, a girl with a short, curly blonde pony-tail turned around in her seat, beaming them two a brilliant, tooth-paste commercial grin.

"Hello, Shuichi, Blade," she said, her falsely bright blue eyes shinning as she nodded to each. "Do you need someone to show you around the school? I'd be happy to help you find your classes." Her voice was high and flirtatious, a psuedo voice used directly for the purpose of entrancing young men. She batted her long, eye lashes that too much mascara clung to in a seductive motion and leaned forward, exposing a gracious view down her low-cut, cheerleading shirt. Hiei looked away, disgusted.

"No, thank you. We'll find our way," Kurama said. Her expression faltered. Apparently, her act had always been bought and her offer excepted before.

"Are you sure, because I-"

"No," Hiei said, his tone sharper than he had wanted, although it was neutral compared to his normal snap. Already he was hating her, and she had hardly said more than thirty words. The girl looked taken back, hurt even. "We'll manage fine." The girl opened her mouth to say more, only to have her attention ripped away by the teacher.

"Ms. Cassidy. Please turn around and face the front," Mrs. Writeman said politely, in a gentle reprimand. The girl turned around, growling something along the lines of 'old hag' under her breath. The instructor continued her lecture on Shakespeare, losing herself in the subject entirely.

Cassidy turned back around a moment later.

"If you need any help-" she began. Hiei thought he would snap. Did these human girls ever shut up? Baka Ningen onnas! He opened his mouth to growl and threaten her, but was beaten to the punch by a familiar, soft and deadly voice from his left. A voice that held the traces of the tone Thorn had frequently used. It pained him to hear it used so differently, yet so much the same as well.

"Can it, Cassidy. I'm tired of hearing your disgusting voice," Rose said, glaring at the girl with dark green eyes, making the blonde turn and look at her. The cheerleader put up a tough front, but both Kurama and Hiei could see the fear that sparkled in the depths of her falsely-colored eyes. She snorted.

"Don't tell _me_ what to do, Rose," she spat graciously, trying to both impress the boys as well as hide her immense fear. The other girl smirked, a familiar sight to the two who sat beside her, a leer trimming the edges of her expression.

"Really? And what will you do about it? Ruin what's left of my life?" Rose gave a dark and hallow laugh. "Go ahead. Make my day, I'd find it amusing just to see you try. After all, not even _you_ can make the fire's of hell burn any brighter." Cassidy seemed to be at a loss for words and so jerked back around after glaring at her classmate, fuming visibly.

"Bitch," they heard the blonde mutter.

"Watch your mouth, slut. My tolerance for your kind is at zero today," Rose said, her tone dark and forbidding, louder than it was before, creeping from its placid, gentle melody. Her words, Hiei noticed, although quiet, had gained the attention of the entire class. Even the teacher had paused to listen, although did nothing, her back to her students as she pretended to flip through a thick English book. All was silent as everyone watched, as if waiting tensely for a slave to defy its god.

Cassidy remained silent, although Kurama could smell her fear. The teacher turned, as if finally deciding she should intervene.

"Rose, are you feeling well today? Perhaps you should go to the nurse's office?" she asked politely. All eyes turned toward the girl, as if waiting for an answer to the question that the youkai did not understand. Sick? She looked and, to Kurama's nose, smelled fine. Yet, it seemed, the question was a tender one, as if hinting some unknown subject. Rose turned her gaze toward the older woman. Her expression softened in pity, as one does when explaining an obvious subject to a child.

"No, Mrs. Writeman. I am actually feeling quite well today," was the girl's all too sweet reply. Mrs. Writeman nodded, but looked at her wearily.

"Okay, but if you don't feel quite... yourself," she said, pausing in search of the right word. "Feel free to tell me and we'll send you right home." The girl nodded as the woman sighed and turned back to the board. The bell rang a few moments later, a dull, blaring noise that was sure to get on Hiei's nerves quickly. Rose gathered up her backpack and walked slowly over toward the door, the others hastily making room for her to pass easily. The two demons exchanged confused glances as they walked out of the room. Rose was already lost in a sea of students who yelled and laughed loudly to each other in the halls before their next class.

"We have Study Hall for the next two blocks," Kurama said, observing their schedule. Hiei grunted.

"Its going to be a long day," he said simply as he pushed his way behind Kurama, who easily snaked his way through the crowds with an expert's ease, toward the room where their Study Halls were to be held. He pushed passed a tall boy with a growl, making sure to keep Kurama in sight. "A very long day."

One hour and forty seven minutes later, Hiei and Kurama made their way toward the cafeteria, a class, being lunch, in which they shared with Rose. Neither had brought lunch, and neither bought any. Hopefully they'd be able to corner the girl at a table with her friends and speak with her, if just innocently. They walked into the large room, which was slowly becoming flooded with students. They looked, but did not see Rose.

"Shuichi! Blade! Over here!" called out a happy voice. They turned to see a girl from their English class, surrounded by a few other girls. The two boys glanced at each other. Kurama sighed and walked toward their large, round, table. Two girls moved apart to make room for the boys, pulling up chairs for them to sit it.

"Hi," a dream-struck girl, sitting next Kurama said, her brown eyes large and fantasy-filled. "My name's Jo."

"I'm Lizzy," said a blonde next to Hiei.

"I'm Suzy," said the cheerleader that had been in their English class.

"Hello," Kurama said. "My name's Shuichi Minamino and this," he said, gesturing to a very uncomfortable looking Hiei. "Is Blade Tatsu." The fire youkai grunted in greeting.

"So you're really from Japan?" Lizzy asked. Kurama nodded. "What's it like there?"

"Much like it is here. Toyko is a lot like your large cities," the kitsune explained politely, although he made it clear that he didn't want to answer questions.

"Oh!" they screeched. "Toyko! Ekk!" They giggled among themselves a moment before Kurama decided to ask them a question he had been meaning to ask when he had come over. He looked around pointingly and, sure enough, the girls took the bait.

"Are you looking for someone, Shuichi?" Suzy asked.

"Oh, no, I was just wondering where Rose was. I would have thought she would sit with you," he said innocently. Hiei glanced at him, trying to avoid the drooling Lizzy who was still squealing over them.

"Rose?" they all gapped, then looked at each other and chuckling slightly, nervously. "Oh, Shuichi, you have it all wrong. Didn't you see her in English? Even Cassidy's afraid of her, although she wont admit it. Rose is... well... sick," Suzy explained sadly. Kurama gave the sweetest, most confused puppy-dog look he could muster. The girls melted into his lap.

"What do you mean?" he asked. They looked around timidly, then began to talk a little more quietly.

"Rose has... issues, to put it nicely. About two years ago she went insane." Hiei glanced at Kurama, who saw it, yet did not return it, making sure his full attention was on the girl so as to prompt her into speaking further. "She started wearing black and threatening people after she went into a foreign exchange program to Japan to visit a pen pal. There were some murders outside the town after she came back. Everyone knows she killed those people, but there was no proof to convict her, although the police never suspected her, this entire school knows it was her. She started threatening people and if they didn't heed to her, they ended up disappearing 'mysteriously' and coming back the next day, terrified of her. They never said a word, only that they experienced something evil and knew it was linked to her." The girl shuddered but continued as Kurama's green eyes begged her to go on. "After the first month or so of her going insane, everything stopped, no more murders, no more terrified kids. She became really quiet and didn't talk to anyone, but when she glared at you, you could swear she was stealing your soul."

"Suzy," Jo said quietly, turning away from Kurama for but a moment. "Don't-" The other girl shook her head.

"No, if they're going to stay here, they need to know to stay away from her and why," the cheerleader said. "But when school started last year, she was really strange. Apparently, her dad had died, of 'natural causes' after she came back Japan, and everyone said it was just depression. I mean, her dad had left her, her brother, and her mother right after she left. She went to Japan before that, and had a hard hit on the head by a falling beam of steel. That's when she seemed to start going crazy. She seemed to slack off in everything then, like she was depressed. She didn't come to school some days, and when she did she became… well, weird to be around. Some people said she talked to herself. The doctors said she had a bad concussion, but that was it, and it was from the falling beam. Her mom and brother got her counseling, thinking that she was depressed because of her dad, but they never got anything out of her and told her mom that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was just grieving, or perhaps in shock because of the accident. But some said she was feeling guilty, if someone as heartless as her can feel that, because her father hadn't died naturally, no matter what the doctors said. Then her brother died. A brutal death. But some say that even the grieving over her brother was false. They said she killed him." The table fell silent for a moment, no one making much eye contact with anything other than the chilling food on their plastic trays. Hiei struggled to suppress a snarl at the comment of heartlessness by the girl. He knew otherwise. "But that's not everything. She started to talk to the strangest people, who called her Thorn and her eyes... they changed. It must have been contacts, like yours, Blade," Suzy said, nodding to him. HA! They thought his eyes were fake, like Cassidy's. How wrong they were. "But it was still creepy. Just to be around her gave everyone the willies, so we just left her alone. Even her best friends left her alone. Everyone was kinda scared that she had snapped or something. But about a year ago, in like November, she came to school and acted like she used to. Her mom took her to a bunch of doctors. There was nothing physically wrong with her, so they thought that she had gotten a case of some kind of amnesia that slowly works its way into someone's head, instead of being instant. So it was some kind of latent amnesia, and she just broke out of it last year. But everyone's still scared of her. The doctors said that they'd never seen anything like it before and that there was a chance it could come back, but they really don't know. Just stay away from her, it'll be for the best," Suzy concluded, taking a sip from her carton of milk. The other girls were silent.

"How did you acquire such information on this girl?" Kurama asked. Lizzy snorted.

"Its a small town, Shuichi, everyone knows everything about everyone here," she said. "But let's not talk about her anymore, it makes me shudder just thinking about it. I want to know what shampoo you use on your hair!" she said cheerily, and the mood lightened instantly, sending the girls into a fit of giggles.

"And where did you get those cool contacts, Blade?" Suzy asked. Hiei glanced at Kurama. They really expected them to answer such questions? The kitsune shrugged.

"And how do you get your hair to stick up so straight like that, Blade?" Lizzy asked, moving her hand to reach up and touch it. Hiei stood up suddenly.

"I'll be back later," he growled, and stalked off, the girls looking at him in confusion. Kurama was seemingly forced by the girls to stay with them when he tried to move to follow. He knew that humans were not Hiei's favorite species.

Hiei walked along the halls, shoving his hands in his pockets and growling under his breath. He could almost laugh at their stupidity. They had no idea how close they were to death itself. Thorn, she had been in that body. Yet these girls said that she had murdered those people. Thorn wouldn't have, she wasn't the kind to kill without purpose. But BlackFire could have... He shook his head. That must have been it. She hadn't been able to control him at first, and so was forced to let him feed as often as he wanted. That would account for the murders. Her threats could have been BlackFire as well, his influence pouring into her blood and controlling her into striking fear into those around her as he had done so many, many years before in the demon world. The death of her father and brother… training, he thought bitterly. Well, it was all in the past now. Nothing anyone could do about it now.

Hiei looked up toward a clock in an empty classroom. It was nearly twelve, when the fourth block ended. The next class they had, with Rose as well, was biology, which continued for a short block, which was used as another lunch period, and a shorter, forty-five minute block, making the class the longest of the day at an hour and twenty minutes. He sighed and turned back toward the cafeteria. He waited outside the room until the bell rang, observing the halls keenly. There were a few kids skipping class, walking down the hall in a slumping swagger, while others laughed and gossiped among themselves. There was a door, he noticed, to the right of the cafeteria, down a short hall and out into a parking lot. He stood at the end of it to wait for Kurama.

The annoying and sour droning of the bell sounded a few moments later. Students began to pour out of the room in a thick swarm of buzzing voices like a hive of gossip-hungry hornets. Hiei waited patiently for Kurama to appear. Yet, something else caught his attention before the boy exited the room. The door to his right opened carefully, as if the wind had blow it open, with hardly any sound. Apparently, the student who had went outside was not suppose to exit the building.

Hiei turned to see Rose walking toward him. Her step was long and confident, yet she seemed to hesitate as she saw him in front of her. But she continued on. It was clear that not even the teachers of the school stopped her from doing right or wrong, just as long as she remained 'sane'. She walked past him, tilting her head in greeting, her dark green eyes looking toward him. Anyone else would have thought that she was glaring at them threateningly, yet Hiei saw the expression that Thorn gave as a greeting toward those she hardly knew, a greeting she had given to he, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara that day at the Dark Tournament. He returned it with an accompanying nod as she walked past him. He turned back to look for Kurama, who stepped toward him hastily, a large group of girls behind him giggling foolishly, a moment later.

"Let's go," the kitsune said, eyeing the girls wearily as they hastily made their way to the far end of the school, where their class was.

"Hn, getting attacked already? I would expect you to be able to hold them off longer," Hiei said with a grunt. He was pleased actually. For just a moment, he could see a flicker of Thorn in the girl's eyes. It gave him hope.

"Yes, well I was trying to acquire more knowledge," he said, leaving Hiei to fill in the blank. 'About Rose,' was the unsaid ending.

"Did you succeed?" he asked skeptically, glancing up at the taller boy.

"I learned only where they lived," he said. "I suggest we visit them."

"Hm," Hiei said, nodding as they again swam through the thick mist of kids. They fled to the far corner of the school, receiving giggles and curious glances from the girls they passed as well as gruff glares from the guys. They made it into the classroom just as the second bell rang. The teacher looked up. He was a tall man in his mid-thirties with softly graying hair.

"You must be Shuichi and Blade, I presume?" he asked in a rumbling voice. The two nodded. The man gestured jerkily toward two empty seats in the back.

"You can take those seats," he said as they moved toward the two-seated table. "This is Biology class and I'm Mr. Dennis. Welcome." The two boys took their seats as the man took attendance. Damn the school administrators, bringing in foreign exchange students so late in the year. Can't teach 'em nothing before the finals, were the teacher's thoughts. He sighed and took the sheet to the door, where it would be collected later during class.

Hiei and Kurama took their seats in the back of the classroom, scanning the room in search of the one they stalked. Rose sat to Hiei's right, sitting next to a blonde boy who talked to her one desk in front of the one beside his own.

"C'mon, Rose. Don't be so uptight, live a little," he said with a grin. Hiei narrowed his eyes, wondering how she would react to such taunting.

"Back off, Brent," she said placidly, not looking at him. But her voice lacked the darkness that she had put into it when she had growled at Cassidy earlier that day, as if she found it amusing that someone did not fear her.

"Brent's asking for it. If he isn't careful she's going to freak out on him or worse, she'll go insane again," a boy with short brown hair said to his companion, sitting in front of Hiei, a boy with dark blonde hair, who nodded in agreement.

"He's new, but that's no excuse for not listening to us when we told him she was crazy," the dark blonde whispered back. Brent gave an obnoxious laugh at some unknown joke, known only in his mind as funny.

"I'm serious now, Brent, quiet," Rose said, lifting her chin, which had been dipped and caused her long, shoulder-length bangs to obscure her face and eyes, and exposing her hard expression. The boy nodded and turned back to face the front, taking the hint not to bother her anymore.

"He has sense," Hiei said quietly to no one but himself.

"Hm," Kurama agreed as the class began. Brent, Hiei noticed, continued to look at Rose, throwing glances at her between taking notes. It ruffled Hiei's feathers. But he wouldn't let it get to him.

'She's a different person, with different tastes. I must respect that,' he thought, shaking his head and trying to turn away, only to realize he couldn't. It hurt.

"Something wrong?" Kurama asked quietly. Hiei forced himself to turn away, out of his daze.

"No. Let's just get this day over with," he said.

Authoress' Note: first of all, I just wanted to let everyone that the explanation of Rose's past by Suzy is supposed to be blotchy. They don't really understand, and I wanted to give it that feeling. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted it, but it's a spoiler for like, most of my side story. -cringe- sorry! But I had written this long before I thought of it! I added some stuff in that weren't there before so that it compliments and is compatible with my side-story. Some things might be different in my side-story, so you'll have to forgive me.

**__**

Reviews:

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

School for the youkai! Don't worry, they wont get into any trouble. I'm too nice. :P should give them problems with a teacher or get Hiei in a fight or something… but I wont. Well, you'll find out what Rose believes later. She's very stubborn and very set in her beliefs. Thanks!

****

Reallydizzy:

-sheepish- well thanks! I don't know what happens after the DT, and my old fic started over a year ago, when they had just got to DT. The end was kinda predictable, so I just started from there. thanks for all the support though! Hehe. Thanks again!

****

baka-chibi-puffs:

Hehe! :P Kurama-kun you big spoil-sport. LMAO! Kurama-kun you'd better get it right! Cheese to the Cake, yo! :P and I'm going to try my damnest to get in touch with my friend about beta reading for you. She's got nearly as many jobs as I [that must be hard, considering I have four… . ] and we don't have hours to kill like we did when we were younger. But I'll try!

****

miyako14- too lazy for signing in:  
:P sorry, had to keep yer name like that, because it makes me laugh! Hehe. Anyway, yes, poor Hiei. Torturing the little youkai is a favorite past-time of mine.. You'll learn this soon enough in later chapters when the difficult becomes impossible for him. VV poor boy. Hehe. Update for ya'll!

****

Hiei's1girl:  
here ya go! Thanks for the revvy!

J: alright, ya'll. Gotcher chapta up. be happeh! Anyway, my updates have been slacking. I just found my muse again, and bribing him to stay with me by feeding him cookies. [and don't ask me why little blue Japanese dragons like cookies, because I have no clue!] but he doesn't seem interested in staying for longer than it takes to write two gruesome short stories about creepy crap. -shrug-

FEED MY MUSE, AND GIVE HIM COOKIES!


	4. Meeting with Rose

Warnings: Finally! A few answers. To a LOT of questions.

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Four: Meeting with Rose

Kurama and Hiei looked at a house from the street, casting their gazes over it suspiciously and with caution. Hiei could hardly suppress the pain he felt at seeing the building. So familiar, and yet, it lacked the feeling that had poured from its doors when Thorn had occupied it. Kurama glanced at the fire youkai beside him quickly, then turned his eyes back toward the building.

"This the house?" the kitsune asked quietly, smoothly, as to not crack the glass that held back throbbing emotions within his friend. Hiei nodded curtly, a short, jerky movement. Kurama looked over the house once more and began to walk forward, trusting that Hiei would follow behind him. Hiei paused a moment, thoughts galloping through his mind before shaking them away and walking forward to following Kurama, who had, by now, stepped up on the porch and stood waiting for him. Hiei moved to stand next to him as he knocked on the door with his usual firm modesty.

"Coming!" came a voice from inside. Hiei could recognize it as the voice of the woman who he had seen on the porch, rummaging through her purse in search of keys.

Flashback

"Make sure you close the windows before it rains!" came a strangely familiar feminine voice, marred only by age and experience. Hiei looked up to see a fairly tall woman on the porch, purse in hand, shouting back into the house while scratching through the bag, in search of an unseen object.

"Don't worry about it," came a exasperated, younger, darker version of the voice from inside. Thorn's voice.

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow, honey." The woman turned away, finding the keys she had been looking for, and walked toward a large car. She got in and turned it on, making the engine rumble and spit before grumbling steadily. She pulled out of the driveway and sped down the street.

End Flashback

The approached quickly from another room, opening the door to greet them.

"Hello," she said, glancing from one to the other with hazy gray-blue eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, is Rose home please?" Kurama asked in his quiet and very polite voice. She hesitated a moment before nodding, looking them over as any concerned mother might.

"Yes, hold on a moment please," she said. She turned around, letting the screen door slam gently behind her. "Rose!" she called. "You have company dear!"

Hiei and Kurama looked at each other knowingly. Hopefully they would get to speak with her. Perhaps she would hear them out. The people in the area were kind, polite. No doubt the girl had been brought up to be as well.

The woman turned back to them.

"Hold on just a second," she said, walking away quickly and calling the girl's name again.

"I'm coming," came the soft growl. Hiei straightened as she rounded the corner. Confusion filtered through her eyes as she walked up to the door, opening it to look at them. She was still in her school clothes and without her hair obscuring the front of her shirt, they saw that the words 'Dark Royalty' were emblaze on its front, blue flames jumping around the letters in a greedy hunger, giving the shirt a shuddering, dark mood.

"Is there something I can help you with, Shuichi, is it? And Blade?" she questioned, her thoughts weary and questioning. The two new boys. What would they want with her? She studied them, something in her mind clicking but unable to tell her why she felt so familiar with them. The world fuzzed before her eyes very slightly, but she blinked the buzz away, giving her head a gentle shake. It would be best, she thought, to see what they wanted. She knew how to defend herself, should it come to that.

They nodded in response to her interrigation.

"May we speak with you for a moment?" Kurama asked. Rose looked at them skeptically for a long moment before nodding and offering entrance into her home, swinging the screen door open. Hiei looked to see the tree in which he had watched the girl from through the large picture window as he stepped into the kitchen.

Flashback

Hiei watched a young woman from the shadows of a thickly branched maple tree, his demonic eyes easily catching her figure. She laughed openly in what looked to be a dinning room with a large picture window in which Hiei looked, but the laughs rang hallow to his sharper-than-human ears. She smiled, but they were pitying smiles, mocking the humans that surrounded her with scorn that was evident to the demon. Her eyes were mysteriously bright, but reflected an unseen smirk, their bottoms hinting they knew an untold story. A story that only she knew, a story she kept with a proud rise to her chin. She knew something unknown to those around her. Unknown to the worlds she had traveled in. Unknown to the all-knowing and powerful. A secret that she wasn't about to tell.

End Flashback

They followed her down a short flight of stairs into what looked like an office. Hiei looked to see a door where an open hall had once graced the entrance to her room. He begged for the room to have had changed. He wouldn't be able to bear seeing it the same, he thought. She opened the door and Hiei's deepest disappointment had come true. The room hadn't changed at all. To his left lay a futon, on which he and Kurama took a seat on, to his right a dark blue room, seemingly split off from the tan room in which they sat in by plastic beads forming stars and crescents.

The fire youkai heard Kurama take a quick breath. He must see the beautiful silver painting on the girl's wall of the large, intrepid dragon. Hiei glanced at its familiar pose as well. The silver creature was still there, rearing up in a noble stance, its bright, icy blue eyes glaring at the unseen opponent. But there was something different about the creature. Around its throat lay a necklace, the necklace Thorn had worn of a black dragon curled around to fit into a circular medallion. Its eyes raged a proud and startling bright green. The same color as Thorn's valiant eyes.

Kurama looked over at Hiei, who glanced at him as well.

What? Hiei asked in his telepathy.

The dragon on the wall. Is it the Black Blaze? the kistune asked.

Yes, I suppose. But now it is bound by the necklace. It was not before, Hiei explained. Kurama did not get to voice his next thought in a message before Rose interrupted by upsetting a vase on her desk as she pulled her chair from it. She caught it easily and held it a moment. She fingered what looked like a withered, dead rose in her hand, then glanced at the bright, flourishing red rose beside its dark, nearly black, mate.

"Something wrong?" Kurama asked as she stared at it a moment, thinking, unmoving but to twirl the plant in her fingers.

"No," she answered blankly. "It looks dead, doesn't it?" She continued to touch the blackish flower. "Yet every time I touch it, I can feel life in it, like its just laying dormant and I can't bring myself to discard it." She gurgled a sound deep in her throat and shook her head roughly, pulling herself from the daze she had sunk into. She put the vase back on the desk beside her computer monitor and continued to remove her chair from the desk and planted it a few feet from a table positioned in front of the futon. She turned to sit curtly in the straight-backed chair, looking at them sternly.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked with a sudden business-like tone, as if she did it merely for seeming polite.

"No thank you," Kurama said. There was just the smallest of pauses.

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly. It was clear she was not one for beating around the bush. Thorn never was either, though, Hiei mused silently.

"We are here to ask for your assistance," the kitsune said. She expressed a look of hardness before replacing it with a glint of recognition laughing in her eyes. Hiei thought for sure she would burst out in laughter.

So, this again, she thought as silent chuckling rippled through her mind.

"Clearly you were allies with my other self, my evil twin, as they call her. Thorn," she said, snorting, a small smirk tracing the edges of her lips as she looked away, into the darkness of her room, her eyes straying to the dragon on her wall. Hiei stared at her, wide-eyed. She knew about Thorn…?

Kurama graced a slight, hesitant, nod. It was true, yet false as well. No matter, he thought, it was the past now.

"I thought I recognized you," she said. Hiei sat up straighter.

"You remember?" he asked, his voice hinting more hope than he would have liked. She shook her head, her dark eyes still intent upon the lifeless painting.

"No, I remember nothing. I just had this feeling." She looked back at them. "I know, though, by this feeling, that I assisted you at one time." She turned to Hiei. "What is your real name?" Hiei glanced over at Kurama, who nodded.

"My name is Hiei," the youkai said. He jerked his head toward Kurama. "And this is Kurama." She glanced from one to the other and nodded.

"How can I, perhaps, assist you?" she asked. "I am no Thorn, but there might be a way that I can direct you to someone who can help you with your problem."

"We need _your_ help, Rose. We ask for you alliance to help us destroy a destructive power," Kurama said. She shook her head and smirked as if he was a naïve child that didn't understand.

"You are mistaken. I have no power." Kurama made to speak. "Do not argue with me. Many former allies, if you can call them that much, of my other self said that I must still have this power as well, but I don't. I am hollow, like that sword," she said, nodding in gesturing to above their heads. They turned to see the sword that Thorn had carried around on her back. The one that had glowed and buzzed, imprisoning the great power of the legendary dragon: the Black Blaze.

The two looked at it a moment, but it gave no hint that the powerful creature still dwelled within it.

"Apparently, that is where I got my power. As you can see, it is empty. It holds nothing, just like me," Rose said, her mind grim and thoughtful. She didn't know much about this subject, and did not know how much they did either. But perhaps if she answered their questions, they would assist her in recovering her memory. Hiei turned back around. Seeing the sword had reminded him of something. He dug into his pockets, searching for the paper that had been given to him by the girl.

"Maybe you'll recognize this," Hiei said, handing her the worn square of paper. Kurama glanced at him, tearing his gaze away from the empty shell above him. It was no surprise he had kept the crest. The kitsune remembered it vividly. Two roses, one red, one black, intertwining around a nearly invisible, silvery outline of the sword above him, which glowed and pulled its possessor toward the girl when she wanted to be found by them.

Rose took the paper and looked at it. Suddenly, her face lit up just slightly. Hiei leaned forward, hoping, yet dreading what she would say.

"Yes, I've seen something like this before," she said. Hiei's heart leapt. Kurama gave him a glare that suggested that he continue to remain impassive at her words and expressions as the scent of his hope spiked.

Rose stood up and walked into the dark blue room, pushing aside the beads and walking toward a shelf full of notebooks on a tall bookcase, which was built into the dark wall and its paneling painted silver to further accent the dragon and other brushes of silver. She removed one near the end of a middle shelf and quickly flipped through it. She did not seem to find what she was looking for and so replaced it and trailed her fingers down to the fourth to last, which was a very worn and black spiral notebook. She nodded to herself and flipped through this one much more slowly, searching for something. Nearing the end she stopped and glanced from the notebook page to the paper in her hand. She turned around and walked over to the futon, handing Hiei both the notebook and the crest he had handed her.

"Here," she said, pointing to the right page, which held words and some sketches of much the same symbol. And yet, it was different. The outline of the sword was non-existent in the two or three sketches, instead, there was a serpent-like dragon coiling around either the red or the black rose, its mouth gapping as if to consume the blossom. Yet the stems were wrapped around the creature, keeping its hungry jaws at bay.

"I remember that something was supposed to go with it, but I don't remember it, but I do know that the poem goes with it. You are free to read it if you wish. I know what it means, its general picture, but I have the feeling it has a deeper meaning," Rose said. Kurama waited patiently for Hiei to look over the page. "But that was written by my other self," she said before walking back to her chair and sitting down as she waited. She watched Hiei's face intently, trying to decipher emotions under the steel visage he constantly seemed to wear.

The Rose

My wondrous petals,

that's all you see.

You pluck me from my vine,

feel my blackened spines,

and begin to bleed.

You drop me fast,

for another to take.

But maybe you could forget the past,

and learn from your mistake.

Hiei read it quickly, silently. He cursed his ability to recognize her handwriting, although he had only seen it a few times on the few crests she had given the Renkai Tentai. He handed the notebook to Kurama as he pondered over what Thorn had meant by her words, and who it had been meant for.

Kurama handed back the notebook after memorizing the contents on the page. Rose held it on her lap, silent, as she watched them think a moment.

"Tell me, when and where did you get that, Hiei?" Rose asked. Hiei looked up at her.

"Los Vegas, more than a year and a half ago," he said, making sure to keep his voice unreadable. She nodded. It was her turn to ask the questions. She was going to know. To find out what happened in the two years that had passed from her memory.

"Its strange. Most of the very few I've come a crossed had writing on them, as if they were used as business cards, yet yours is blank. Is there a reason?" she asked. Hiei hesitated just slightly, unsure of what to tell the prying girl. Too much information would be dangerous. Should he tell her that her 'other self', that Thorn, had asked him to hunt her so that she could test her powers? Tell her of their understanding and respect for one another? And how it grew to be more than that? No, he thought, he'd just answer her question, nothing more.

"Yes," he said simply. Rose and Kurama both heard the thoughts in his mind, as though their aura had breathed from his mouth to tease them. It told them he was thinking of something, but would not speak of it. It annoyed Rose slightly and her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

"Care to elaborate?" the girl asked with a slight snap.

"It was given to me by Th-I mean, you gave it to me, so I could find you," he said, correcting himself when he began to say Thorn's name. It seemed unwise to speak of her as a real person around her host and creator when they did not think of her as such.

"Hm, I see. So I was correct when I say that I used to be your ally?" she asked.

"Yes," Hiei said, giving a small nod.

"I understand, but, although I was your ally before, I still do not have this power you're talking about. I know that you will argue about this point, but it is the truth," she said. Kurama opened his mouth to protest. "But _don't_ argue. I don't know why you are so eager to argue with me, but whatever you knew about me as 'Thorn', forget. That side of me is gone. I'll never let it happen again," she said sternly.

"Why is that?" Kurama asked in a soft voice. She hardened her dark green eyes as she looked at him.

"Because I don't like waking up one morning to find my life turned upside down, Kurama," she said with a slight growl mingling in her voice, testing the name she had been given and deciding she liked it much better than Shuichi. "Half my family and most everything I cared about, was dead when I woke up. Do you have any idea how much of a slap in the face that was?" she asked angrily. She struggled to keep herself under control as her temper began to flare with silver sparks. "My life is gone. It was replaced by the life of my other self. A very lonely life. But now, this Thorn is dead, never to return," she said. A spark of anger brightened Hiei's eyes. She had no clue. She did not know what Thorn had sacrifice just to let her live, not to mention what she had given up to try to keep the girl's family alive from the treacherous jaws of that brutal fiend, the Black Blaze. It nearly pissed him off. Almost, but not quite. She did have a point, and being without her memories only worsened her plight. But it also hurt him. She was not alone, at least, not for the time he had known and stalked her. Rose seemed so sure Thorn would not return. And what if she was right? Hiei mentally hit himself. No, he vowed he would find her again, and there's nothing that anyone could do to stop him from getting her back.

"Rose, please, hear me out," Kurama said, encouragement and a slight plea in his tone. "There are these worlds, including the human world, that are in danger of being destroyed. We need your help to save the people who live in those worlds." She shook her head.

"Let me guess, you're talking about Spirit World and the Demon world?" she said with an amused snort. "Yes, I've heard of them, no need to look shocked. Apparently, from what information I have gathered, although it is rare and slim, I've been to both."

"If you have no memory of your past, then how do you know of them?" Hiei asked.

"I don't really know for certain. I just feel that I know when they are mentioned," she said quietly. She stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, replacing the notebook to its proper place. She turned back to the boys and stood next to her chair, her thumbs slung through her belt loops located on the back of her jeans. Her expression was devoid of emotion as her dark eyes looked at them. Taking her hint, Kurama stood to leave. Hiei glanced up at him and followed suit. She had decided that she had had enough of their questions.

"Its getting late," Kurama said. "We should be going." She nodded and moved to lead them upstairs.

She opened the front door for them when they reached the kitchen and they stepped out onto the porch before turning back toward her.

"Thank you again for your time, Rose," Kurama said. "Perhaps we will see you tomorrow?"

"Don't bother putting yourself through hell just to watch me, trying to persuade me to believe that I have something that doesn't exist, Kurama. It would be pointless," the girl said. Kurama nodded in understanding. It didn't matter, he had a different plan formulating in his mind and it did not, necessarily, require them to follow her in school. And he had a feeling that her school days were much the same as it had been that day anyway.

"Have a nice day then," the kitsune said, giving a small bow before turning away as she nodded. Hiei looked at the girl grimly as he turned slightly to follow his partner.

I promise you, I will be back, he told her silently, using the expert powers of his Jagan eye. She looked at him, her expression hardening as she tilted her head in a nod of good-bye.

And I assure you that I am not the same person, nor will I ever be again, so I suggest that you leave and forget, she said back to him as he turned away, walking behind Kurama. He paused just a second, surprised that she could or did reply. He grunted and continued on.

Authoress' Note: yay! Another chapter completed! Ya'll rock! I've been meaning to get this chapter up for a good long while, but I've been both lazy and erm… lazy? anyway, my muse made me even edit the NEXT chapter, so the faster the revs pump in for this one, the sooner I can put them on that chappy and dish that one out!

**__**

Reviews

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:**

Yes, poor Hiei-kun. I'm going to really torture him in this story. I guess I like doing that, since I've done it in 'A Failed Protector' and 'Hiei and Chocolate' o. yes, it would be waaayy too dangerous, which is why its not suggested. Not to mention the point that the BB cannot be awakened unless THORN was awakened first, and since no one knows the secret that wakes her, then its not happening. Anyway, I've edited the next few chapters with more of Rose's POV. I don't know why I don't like getting into my Original Character's head a lot. -shrug- I guess its because we're not really supposed to be looking through their eyes. It shows how little we know about them if we don't know what they're thinking. Of course, my side story is ALL of her POV. But that wont be out for a while yet I'm thinking… anyway, This chapter it was really hard to fit in POV without making it look screwy, so there ya go! Lovin' the long revs! Thanks!

miyako14:  
Thank you! yes, must torture him more!!! -gets out magic wooden spoon- ooohhh Hiei-Kun! -evil grin- yes, stupid-ass cheerleaders. Cassidy plays a pretty big role in the side story, so be fore warned! I'm so bad, giving out so many spoilers to it! Erk! Here's yer update! Thanks!

baka-chibi-puffs:

Muse: -chokes- gaaa!

J: ermmm I think he died… VV darn. O.O here here! An update! -shoves update down her throat- happy now? Lovin' da cake girl!

J: is it just me or is my popularity going like… WAYY down? I remember when I got 6 revs a chapter! -shrug- oh well. This is for you few and faithful!

J


	5. Kurama's Plan

****

Warnings: erm… Kurama's planning something O.o

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Five: Kurama's Plan

"So what are we going to do now, Kurama?" Hiei asked. The two walked down the long halls, having arrived back in the Spirit World to tell Koenma of what they had learned. He could feel thoughts churning within the kitsune's mind, working rhythmically and intensely.

"I have a plan," the boy said, his voice still thoughtful as to the idea, but firm. "We were too forward in our offering and she easily guarded against our intrusion. Perhaps we should be a bit more encouraging, or perhaps make her realize she still has the Black Blaze's power." Hiei glanced over at him wearily after he completed his explanation. He would rather not see that power again. But he was curious as to his partner's plans.

"What are you suggesting? That we take her by force?" the fire youkai asked. The kitsune nodded shallowly.

"Yes. And I think I know the perfect way to go about it," he said.

"Just as long as I don't have to go back to that baka ningen school," Hiei grunted. Kurama smirked slightly.

"We don't _have_ to," he said, paused, then continued as he excepted a withering glare of reproach. "But perhaps we should." The demon beside him growled, turning smoldering eyes forward.

"I'm not going back," Hiei said. There was another pause, this one longer, with more thought and caution to its breath. Kurama's voice was softer than it was before when it whisked from his throat.

"You don't like it, do you, Hiei?" This was met with a snort.

"No. Those stupid female ningens are worse than Kuwabaka," he said bitterly, twisting the name of the boy they often held missions with who, to put it lightly, could be a bit slow in understanding things. They were both constantly at each other's throats.

"That's not what I meant." Their footsteps pattered softly on the floor.

"I don't like a lot of things, including prying foxes," Hiei growled in a deadly soft voice. He knew what Kurama had meant. No, he didn't like seeing the girl as Rose instead of Thorn. But it didn't matter what he thought about it, that didn't mean it would change.

They stepped up to the door that led into Koenma's office and the kitsune opened it quietly. The young ruler sat at his desk, as usual, rifling through an assortment of papers frantically. He did not hear them come in and so they stood, unnoticed, until Kurama cleared his throat. Koenma looked up, surprised. He looked more worn that he had before, his brown eyes dull and tired as he stopped his shuffling and looked at them.

"Did you find her?" he asked hopefully, his voice pinched with stress. Kurama nodded and explained what had occurred that day, making sure to point out that Thorn's memory was entirely lost to the girl, as well as her insistence that she held no power. Koenma nodded and sighed heavily.

"Might I suggest something?" Kurama asked when there was a slight silence. The prince gave a half-hearted wave to signal him on, his eyes scanning over the wrinkled parchment on his desk as he searched for something, seemingly giving up on the idea of bringing the girl to their side. "There is a chance that she will refuse to come with us, even with constant persistence and prompting. Actually, I think that the more we press her gently, the harder it will become to convince her to help us because she will become immune to our insistance," the red-haired boy explained. Koenma looked up at him skeptically. "I suggest that we, instead, persuade her by more forceful means? At least until she realizes everything we've said is the truth or she comes to discover that she still has her power, that is, if she still does, of course." Koenma thought on this a moment, sucking steadily on his pacifier, before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, perhaps that would be the best way. I'll tell Botan to go as a peace keeper when you go, and I'll send Yusuke along too," the toddler said. Kurama nodded.

"Hn. Why do we need her anyway? Kurama and I could defeat this creature if we really wanted to," Hiei said with a scowl. Koenma shook his head.

"No, I'm not questioning your abilities, but, I fear, this demon is far more powerful than anything I've ever come across. With the exception of the Black Blaze." He paused and began to search for something under the sewage of papers that mauled his desk. Finding it, he picked up the remote to his large television screen and turned it on. "Watch this and you'll see why I'm concerned," he said. Kurama and Hiei turned to face the screen as it lit up to reveal a large island that looked to be quite peaceful, no doubt located in the Demon World. It was lush and green with tall, ancient trees.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake and the water began to shatter violently against the sides of the cliffs that clung to the edge of the island like broken blue waves of crystal. The island quickly tore in two, as if ripped by two unseen, powerful hands, its ragged center crack large and gapping like a hungry mouth, before water gushed through the ever-growing breaking point, filling the void with swirls of enraged water. The shaking intensified greatly and the island crumbled steadily, large slivers of itself plummeting down into the water, causing giant splashes that reached the top of the cliffs of the island, which was hastily descending into the water.

Finally, only one small, naked peak of rock remained, on which stood a tall figure, dressing in a long, nearly black, dark green cloak. Their hair was long and just a shade or two lighter than their cloak, floating past their shoulders in thick locks, held only in place by a black band placed just past the base of their neck, although they still fought furiously as the water continued to bellow around the figure, causing wind to whip through their tresses. The three listened as a deranged chuckle began to rumble over the sloshing of the water. It grew steadily until it was a full fledged, crazed laugh that tumbled from their throat heartily.

"Look here Koenma! I have spent but a small fraction of my strength and this island crumbled beneath my hand! Soon I will rule all the worlds, and even your precious team of detectives will not be able to stop me!" they cried to the soft gray sky. Their laugh echoed off the water as the screen suddenly cut out, leaving in the wake of the gurgling laughter a hissing gray screen. Koenma sighed and turned off the set, placing his head in his hands and closing his eyes, deep in thought. The three were silent for a moment. Now they knew, and that's why he thought they would need her help. If this creature was as powerful as they said, they would need every strength that they could acquire.

"Hm. I see," Kurama said simply. The young ruler nodded to his desk more than to the fire-haired boy.

"Yes. Now, I need you to return to the human world and keep an eye on Rose," he said, looking up at them from his slumping distress. Hiei grunted as he and Kurama turned to look at him and the prince gave him an indifferent look of fatigue.

"Count me out. I'm not going back," the youkai said, glaring at a book that lay on the closest edge of the desk. Koenma's expression hardened and glared at him.

"If you didn't return, she might get suspicious about what we might try, so you're staying," he said firmly. Hiei growled at the book, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, you have a point," Kurama said, glaring at Hiei from the corner of his eye. Hiei quieted his disgruntled noise and merely glared hate daggers at the placid opuscule on the wooden surface.

"Glad you understand. Now, I have work to do," Koenma said, turning back to his books. It reminded Hiei of the time the prince had been trying to find information on Thorn and the Black Blaze the way documents were scattered about, struggling to remain neat, tidy piles, yet failing miserably and falling into unsalvageable heaps. Kurama nodded and turned away. Hiei followed hesitantly, growling under his breath. He did not like the turn things were taking.

Rose sat impassively in her seat. She didn't see them, but she could feel one of the two boys behind her looking at her. But she ignored it, staring instead at the board in the front of the room. The teacher drawled on about how the Regents test would cover everything they knew about Global History. She tuned her out easily. She hadn't been surprised when the two boys had returned two days before the current one. But, she thought thankfully, it was Friday, and she could avoid them for the entire weekend. She sighed and propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek on the flat of her knuckles. They hadn't spoken to her since Monday, although they had tried. Each time she would find some crafty way to avoid them, and she congratulated herself on the raw cunning she had used.

She glanced at the clock. It was nearly time for the bell. The teacher continued to drone. She could still feel their eyes on her back. It must be Hiei. She had caught him watching her a few times before. When she would look at him his expression would darken and he'd turn away. Kurama would normally notice and glance at her, then she would glare in greeting with a slight snort before turning away. But she really didn't mind the gentle holes in her back as much as she would have thought. She must have been strong allies with them. She had felt very comfortable talking with them on Monday, which was strange. She had no memories, no matter how hard she tried to think. But she had been approached by someone after recovering from her 'sickness'. They said that they had been a spy for the girl and that they were a demon. She had laughed at her at first and turned away, thinking that, not only had she gone insane, but she had taken on insane new friends as well! But, eventually, with slight persistence, she had begun to believe her, although she was still skeptical about the irrational ideas. She didn't look to be much older than eighteen, although she said that she was very old. She never elaborated on who she was or where she came from. But she did tell the girl of her travels for the several months that she had been 'sick'. The demoness had told her that she had gone to Japan often and asked about a powerful team of Spirit detectives that she had helped in some big fight afterward, after she explained what a Spirit detective was and about the Spirit and demon world, of course. After the fight she had helped them once again before excepting an offer of training, only to break the deal not long after. The demoness didn't really heard much after that, but did get the picture that the team had a new mission, to hunt some girl with a sword. That had been all before she had returned and then reappeared as Rose. The demon had said that she had not asked for information since and so had done little spying. She was told that when 'Rose' lost her memory to help her in every way possible. It seemed that the demoness held a great respect for her. So, although she had lost her memories, she still knew, if vaguely, what had occurred in the time from which she could not remember. So they must have been the ones she had asked for information about. Apparently, according to the spy, they were her only real 'allies', or people she had sought out. Rose continued to ponder what the demoness, who had merely given her the name Jazz in which to call her by, saying it was neither her demon, nor the human name she had gained, had told her.

The bell rang.

Hiei growled under his breath. Damn that bell to the deepest pit of hell. He wanted to kill whoever had created the dull blare. Slowly and painfully. He and Kurama stood up and left the room. Next they had a study hall with the girl, who had had gym on Monday, yet did not today. Humans with their complicated schedules. They walked down the halls to their last class, which was held in the cafeteria due to the large amount of students. They walked into the cafeteria from the lesser-used entrance and were unnoticed. They looked around. Teachers handed out passes at the other entrance, crowded by students that were leaving to go to other classes. Hiei glanced around quickly.

"Look," he grunted, nodding toward the corner to their far right, toward a round table located in a cozy corner of the large room. Kurama looked to see Rose sitting at the table, a thoughtful look on her face. Kurama nodded.

"Let's go," the kitsune said, walking toward the table. Rose noticed and looked up as they stopped and stood in front of her table. She glared at them, her expression hardening. Persistent, weren't they?

"Mind if we sit here?" Kurama asked. She nodded toward the chairs, bidding them to take a seat. They did, Hiei on her left, facing her, with Kurama beside him on her right, facing her as well with their backs to the rest of the room. She gave them a hard look before settling back into her chair, watching them. The second bell rang and students began to settle into their respective seats, getting out books and binders while talking to their friends. The study hall teacher had long since filled out all the passes and yelled for silence when Rose finally spoke.

"I'm surprised you came back. It was foolish of you," she said, running her right hand through her dark hair, making her shoulder-length bangs fall to frame her face before she pushed them behind her ears. Hiei grunted and Kurama spoke.

"You know why we came back," he said softly.

"Hn, it was still foolish. You know my answer, it will not change," she said, crossing her arms. The back of the cafeteria was actually in front of the school and so the whole length held windows. Rose turned her head to look out the window and did not turned to look at, nor speak to them again. Kurama glanced at Hiei, who saw the move and opened his mind up for questions.

__

Yusuke's here? Hiei asked through his telepathy.

__

Yes. Tonight, after school. We'll have to hold her so she misses the bus, the fox said. Hiei nodded slightly. It would be a long block. And it was. Between the loud laughter and talking of kids, books fell and boomed shut, pencils tapped and paper ripped. Teachers would yell for silence, but it was incredibly short-lived and soon the volume would increase once again. The three at the table in the corner were silent, neither talking nor working. Silence engulfed their corner hungrily, diffusing through the air to muffle the other sounds about them. It made the period pass slowly, especially for Hiei, who growled mentally every time a paper was torn from a notebook in a long and grating voice. What an annoying sound! The bell was better than that horrible grinding! But soon, although not soon enough for the fire youkai, the buses could be seen lining up outside the windows. The announcements came on, not that one could hear them over the noise of students pushing in chairs and talking. Kurama glanced at Hiei as Rose stood up and Hiei nodded slightly. They had studied her every day. She would go to her locker, put away some books and perhaps take a notebook out before heading towards her bus.

They were all dismissed and Rose melted with the crowd of students as Hiei and Kurama followed. She took her time putting her things away as the two demons stood on the opposite wall, directly behind her, waiting for their chance to spring their plan into action.

Finally, the girl closed her locker and turned around, walking away.

"Rose!" Kurama called softly. She paused and then stopped as if contemplating ignoring him. She turned around to face him as the two approached slowly, stalling for time. She scowled in inpatients. No what did he want? She glared at him subtly as she paused and shifted her bag on her back. She noticed the curious glances the people around her gave with an ignorant eye. Everyone knew about her, and knew that Kurama and Hiei had been informed of who she was. Of the monster she had become. They were probably very curious as to why they were approaching her. Should they have been any other new student in their situation, they would have avoided her at all costs if they were smart, or be greeted with a corrupt tongue and glare to boot. No, these two were out for her. But it was almost nice that these two weren't afraid of her.

"Rose, could you remind me what the assignment was for English please?" Kurama asked, stopping in front of her and drawing out the sentence suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed uncertainly.

"There was none," she said.

"Oh," he said stupidly. "Was there any for History, perhaps?" She glanced behind her, glaring at a passing student, who quickened his pace and shot by them.

"Study for the test next class," she said, tapping her foot, making sure her got the point that she found his questions annoying.

"And what will that test be on again?" he asked innocently. Rose growled under her breath and glared at him darkly. He _was_ being very annoying, Hiei thought, noticing her irked expression.

"Chapter thirteen," she said with a snap.

"Hm, I see," Kurama said, nodding.

"Is that all?" she asked, exasperated. Kurama nodded.

"Yes, I suppose so," he said, thinking quickly. He could hear the buses begin to pull away. Rose seemed to hear this as well, her eyes darting about impatiently.

"Good, now I've gotta go," she said, turning and walking quickly down towards the nearest set of doors. Hiei smirked.

"Well that worked out perfectly," he said as he heard the girl curse as her bus went by, pounding shortly on the glass. His friend nodded.

"Yes, now let's go find Yusuke," he said.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

Authoress' Note: bwahahahaha! update! I'm going to set a rhythm again. Like, updates every Thursday nights or something. Like it used to be. . I just need to get the motivation to stop reading online comics about video games I've never heard of and start editing these things! anyway, REVIEWS THAT ROCK MY SOCKS!

**__**

Reviews:

****

baka-chibi-puffs:

Lol! Thanks! one more than last chapter! W00t! :P Cheese cake its like… yum. And the update! -shoves update down your throat- thankies!

****

Ryuu:   
Thanks so much for reading! I'm not into lots of OC fics either. And if one notices, they're not as popular, mostly because they're repetitive. The Spirit Detectives must find this girl to help them do something and she comes with them happily and they defeat the power and the OC and one of the bishies from the anime live happily-ever-after. -rolls eyes- I HATE that. So I'm trying to get away from it. I mean, sure, some of the OC's that I've created have some of the same beliefs as me, but they're not EXACTLY like the author. Mostly I thought of these Charries because someone told me I had DID [better known as MPD]. And I thought it would be a great idea for a fanfic, getting away from the repetiveness of everything. They have to be weak, if not physically then mentally. Anyway, enough of that rant.

Thanks, I'm trying to keep everyone in character, and I'm hoping its working, so yer comment is encouraging, thanks! I'm just trying to think of what he would do if it was Yukina or something like that. How he would react.

:P hope you like MY rant. Here's the update! Thanks .

****

baka-chibi-puffs:  
w00t! Double the reviews! Have a cookie!

Yes, vv poor Hiei. Torturing the poor guy is just… really fun. lol. Its okay. SAVING YOUR SANITY!

****

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

Yeah, I didn't really think of how Rose felt either until I started my side story to show her agony throughout it all. Then its like, wow. Its powerful. And I'm going to hafta give another spoiler, but Rose goes through a lot of pain after getting BB. I mean a LOT. But yeah. Its like she woke up in her bed one morning, but while she slept someone came into her home and robbed it of everything she held dear.

O.o that's a good question, does she really have the power? Is she hiding it from them? What reason would she have to do that? :P don't worry, all questions are answered later, of course. and I'm not saying anything about how they're going to go about getting her to see everything their way. That's next chapter!

LOVE THE LONG REVIEWS! Its like… YES! The longer the better! Thanks!


	6. Ensnaring A Rose

Warnings: erm… bad stuff, some swearing thanks to our ill-tempered herion O.o

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Six: Ensnaring a Rose

Rose sighed angrily, letting the air slide through her teeth in a hiss, as she kicked a small stone along the pavement. She walked quickly down the street, hoping that if she kept up a vivid step she could make it home in fifteen minutes, before her mother arrived. Not that it effected her mother. The girl's mother was a bit of a psycho since her father and uncle had died and didn't really care when the girl got home. Actually, to put it more accurately, she was constantly surprised when the girl returned from school, even after more than a year after her 'sickness', when, it seemed, she had hardly ever came home. Not that coming up the stairs from her bedroom would surprise her, if she even noticed that she hadn't arrived back at the house. It almost seemed as if she had been brainwashed into thinking she didn't come home in the afternoon. Or even at all. Oh well, at least she didn't have to make up a lame excuse for walking home. She liked walking to school, since she did not live far from the building, but walking home was different. She preferred the bus at this time of year, when her bag was weighted down with an extra ten pounds of books and binders. She scowled at the white line she walked long. Stupid boys, holding her up like that.

Rose felt something twitch within her mind and stopped abruptly and looked around, her gestures cautious. The old road behind her was empty, a small wind herding a few moldy winter leaves across the path she had just tread upon. She narrowed her eyes and turned back around, passing off the feeling of unease.

She jumped when she nearly ran into Hiei, who stood before her like a ghost born of the road.

"What the hell-?" She snarled out before noticing just who it was. Her mouth turned downward into a frown as she gave him her usual greeting. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Something I can help you with?" she asked, bite in her voice. What the hell was WITH these boys?! It was as though she was under constant surveillance, and she hardly liked it.

"Yes. Don't struggle. It will make everything much easier," he said, glancing past her shoulder. Rose was confused a moment, her expression told him that much. She looked at him oddly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and hoisting her bag more firmly on her shoulders.

Suddenly, strong arms grabbed her from behind. She gave out a yelp as she twisted around to see her new foe. A tall boy, about 5'8" or 5'9" with slicked-back black hair stood behind her, binding her arms to her sides. She turned back to Hiei with a glare that sent chills through him. She leaned forward as far as her captor allowed, her face less than a foot from his own.

"You bastard!" she snarled, her voice dripping with venomous spite. She pulled back and jerked about as she fought to free her arms. But her captor was strong, and she was held firmly in place. "Let me go, dammit!" she cried, writhing and trying to wrench her hands from his grip.

"I'm terribly sorry, Rose," came a familiar voice. The girl jerked her head around to face the approaching Kurama. She growled at him with a glare that was rimmed with the tint of icy-blue, making him freeze in his tracks; although, with his grace, one could have sworn that he had done it of his own accord.

"I should have known. You're taking advantage of my lack of memory. You were never my allies, and I never yours, you were all my enemies!" she yelled. Inside Kurama and, Hiei especially, cringed in hurt at the fury of her words.

"Hey! All we wanted was to get back the sword you stole!" the boy holding her said, sneering down at her.

"That's not true! I've never stolen anything in my life!" she growled, struggling against his strong hold with more vigor.

"Oh yeah, that's right, you wouldn't remember, huh?" he asked, thinking to himself aloud. He had forgotten at the sight of her that this was no longer Thorn, but her counterpart, Rose. He shook away the thought of their complete alikeness, and concentrated on what was being said to him.

"Yusuke, don't make things any worse. We'll explain everything, Rose. Please, just come with us," the red-head said. She glared at him, the looked around her. Hiei stood in front of her, blocking her if she were to run forward, Kurama to her right, blocking there as well, not to mention the boy they called Yusuke at her back, binding her arms.

"Fine," she growled. "Explain. But I'm not going anywhere with you." Yusuke chuckled.

"You're worse than Thorn. At least she had a sense of humor, even if it was kinda creepy," the boy said.

"She is dead," the girl said in an exasperated tone. The spite in her voice made them all cringe inwardly. She glared more fiercely at Kurama. "My mother will be home soon. If I don't come home she'll know something's up," she said defiantly, raising her chin. She had stopped her struggling and began with another tactic. Fear. Yusuke chuckled from behind her once again.

"Don't worry about that. Hiei had a great ability to make people _see_ things his way," he said, laughing at his own, however corny, pun. Hiei grunted and fftted (that sound he makes when he runs away at super demon speed! ) away. The girl stared at where he had once stood, utter confusion on her face. She looked around in wonder and the boy behind her laughed. How very annoying.

"Don't bother looking for Hiei, he's probably already at your house," he said. "You get used to it." She replaced the expression with a mask of anger.

"I can tell already I hate you," she hissed.

"Perhaps we should get going. Hiei will be back soon," the kitsune said, turning and walking back into the woods off to the side of the road, trusting them to follow him. Yusuke walked forward as well, forcing his captive to walk as well as she growled under her breath.

They came to a certain point in the woods, about half a mile from the road, Rose guessed, and stopped. A bubbly, bright pink-eyed girl walked up to them, her high blue pony-tail bobbing with her steps.

'I've never seen blue hair look so natural, or such realistic pink contacts,' Rose thought off-handedly, although she was instantly on her guard.

"Great, another one," she mumbled. Yusuke heard.

"Hey, just chill out. We're not going to hurt you. We just need your help," he said.

"Botan, this is Rose," Kurama said, interrupting as he spoke to the blue-haired girl. "Rose, this is Botan."

"A.K.A: The Grim Reaper," Yusuke said with a gentle smile. Rose snorted and glared at the ferry, jerking her head in a signal of respect.

'She might be the enemy, but she's still a girl, and I respect that,' Rose thought.

"Hello," Botan said, walking forward cheerily. "Sorry about the rudeness. Sometimes Koenma just gets a little carried away." She smiled. Rose glared at her as the pilot of the River Styx offered her hand.

"You shouldn't be so nice to the enemy. As soon as I'm free I'll turn. I won't be stopped. I guarantee it," she said softly, her voice dark. Botan withdrew a bit.

"Who says we're being nice to the enemy? We're only trying to be nice to you," came a voice from behind her and Yusuke. They all turned to see Hiei, a green duffle bag on his shoulder. Rose took a quick breath of confused recognition, although it was passed as surprise. She could feel her head beginning to spin slightly, the trees blurring and the figures before her smudging slightly.

"Hn," he grunted at the gazes. Rose shook her head, clearing both her vision and swirling mind and glared as he approached. "Your mother said to take this. She doesn't seem to expect you to come back any time soon," he said. She grunted and didn't answer.

"Well, then we should get going," Kurama said. Botan nodded. She turned and waved her hand over the ground. She ran her hands over the earth before finding some latch and opened up the earth. Rose stared in shock as the portal opened and light poured through the shadows of the woods.

"Okay!" Botan said cheerily. "Let's go!" Rose looked over at her stupidly.

"Like hell!" she said suddenly. Yusuke felt her turn ridged under his grip. "There is no way I'm going into that pit!" Yusuke sighed. This was going to be difficult.

"C'mon," he said. "Don't be difficult." She growled and he tried to make her walk forward. She braced her legs like a mule, digging her heels into the ground stubbornly.

"No way!" she said. Kurama sighed and stepped forward.

"Rose, its fine," the kitsune said.

-**Sometimes you need to have a little faith, Hiei. Not everyone is out to kill you as soon as you let your guard down an inch**- The words bolted fleetingly through Hiei's mind. The words Thorn had told him. A chord in his neck pulled taunt as he clenched his jaw against the invading thought.

"Please, Rose, trust us," Botan said.

"Why should I trust you?" she growled. "First, I was stalked and watched, then I was kidnapped! How the hell can you ask me to trust you?!" she demanded. She seemed to regain vigor as she spoke and again tried to free her hands. Using her struggle to his advantage, Yusuke pushed her forward, toward the shinning portal. Realizing what he was doing, the girl braced her legs again, jabbing a shoulder into his stomach. He grunted and his grip loosened. Now it was her turn to use a given advantage. She twisted around, her right heel colliding with the right side of his right knee cap, which, by the way, can be very painful when a tremendous amount of pressure is applied.

With a yelp his leg crumpled beneath him. He buckled, surprised at her strength and cursing his lack of insight for that possible scenario. Rose wrenched her arms from his hands, turning and bolting away from him, her heavy backpack dropping from her shoulders to give her more freedom of movement. Hiei was in front of her in an instant, nearly making her plow into him as she defied gravity in a heel-screeching stop. She tried again, the results not changing as she tried to escape.

"I told you not to struggle," he said quietly, his gaze hard. She glared at him a few moments. She was like a trapped animal, and he knew it. Knowing her own helplessness, she clenched her teeth. Finally, with a vibrant sneer and snarl she turned on her heel, stomping back to the waiting group, Yusuke scowling at her, embarrassed at being outwitted by her. Hiei followed behind her, knowing that they had won. This time. She wasn't one to give up, and they all knew it.

"I understand that I cannot escape. But from now on, I refuse to be bound like a child," she said, glaring meaningfully at both Yusuke and Kurama. Kurama and Botan nodded in agreement as Hiei picked up the duffle bag he had dropped behind her. Botan walked up to her and smiled gently.

"C'mon, let's go," she said. Rose nodded and walked forward, looking at the portal wearily. Yusuke grumbled and hefted her backpack on his shoulders. He groaned as he carried the weight.

"Whatcha got in here, rocks?" he grumbled. Was it normal for kids their age to be carrying so much weight in their bags? Not that he would know. He didn't go to school often enough for his bag to be filled with anything other than cigarettes and, at times, Puu, his Spirit Beast.

"No, just a few bricks," she said sarcastically with a snort. Botan giggled. Rose approached the uprooted earth slowly, curiously, looking down into it.

"No use staring at it all day," Yusuke said impatiently. She said nothing.

"Need help?" Kurama asked as a moment passed and she still hadn't made a move. She didn't look at him as she shook her head.

"No," she said. Yusuke sighed.

"Fine, if you aren't going in them I am. I'm going to be late for a date with Keiko," he said, walking around her. She watched in awe as he jumped into it fearlessly. With a satisfied nod, she jumped in as well. And landed directly on her rear, stumbling from a crouch she had meant to land in. Ouch.

The dark cement was hard and unforgiving as she slowly stood up, Botan and Hiei following, with Kurama last as she dusted off her bottom. She looked up and watched the portal close silently.

"We should be getting going," Botan said. Rose tore her attention away from the newly-closed portal and looked around.

"Where is this place?" she asked, looking out of the dark alley and onto a bright, sun-lit street.

"We're in Japan of course!" the pilot said with a smile.

"Japan?!" she questioned in surprise. "But how-?"

"Don't ask. Even I don't get it," Yusuke said, adjusting her pack on his shoulders as he looked out into the alley. She snorted.

"I could believe that," she said. Kurama and Botan chuckled at that, and even Hiei cracked a smirk. Her humor, it seemed, wasn't just specifically located in Thorn's soul.

"Never mind about the portal," Botan said. "Let's go get you settled in." The blue-haired girl walked out of the alley, Rose hardly a step behind her as the boys circled around her, making it obvious that escape was not an option. Too bad too, if she could just break away, even if they were to start chasing her, she might be able to find help. Well, that was out of the question now. Rose followed Botan, but kept her eyes scanning about, not that she could see much with the boys blocking so much of her view.

Soon they arrived in front of a quaint little house on the street. She studied it a moment, memorizing the way it looked and surrounding landmarks. Just in case she needed to find it again.

Kurama opened the front door and motioned them inside. Rose took it all in. A cozy sitting room, connected to the kitchen, which lay across the room, only partially visible through the doorway. Stairs climbed up the far wall near the doorway to the kitchen to, no doubt, bedrooms. All was new to her, yet strangely familiar. She shook her head as the room began to sway.

'No! Not now! Not in the hands of the enemy!" she thought, putting a hand on her head and steadying herself. Yusuke had passed her and had gone to sit on a sofa, dropping her bag by its side as Botan followed. Kurama had gone into the kitchen and Hiei was beside her, like a personal guard, her green duffle bag over his shoulder.

The fire youkai looked over at her as she blinked, trying to clear her head. His brow furrowed in suspicion. After all, from their encounter in the past, the girl was a superb actor. He watched her as she ground her teeth and moved forward, walking straight although her mind flowed the image like a bouncing ship on a stormy sea. She sat down on the couch across from Yusuke and Botan, Hiei taking a seat on her left. Kurama came out of the kitchen a moment later, tossing everyone sodas as he took a seat on the other side of Rose.

There was silence but for the popping of soda cans and the gulping of the drinks. Rose did not open hers. Neither did Hiei.

"Aren't you gonna drink it?" Yusuke asked, gesturing toward the can she held.

"Depends," she said carelessly, shrugging.

"On what?" Botan asked. She gave another small shrug.

"It depends on whether or not you're prepared to hold me when I have sugar running in my system," she said with an amused smirk. "And I can tell you aren't, so I wont. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone." She struggled to hold back a grin as the boy across form her took the bait. Yusuke growled.

"Yeah? Well you weren't so compassionate when you roughed up me and Kurama pretty good before," he said (he's talking about the final battle with Thorn and the Black Blaze). This made her perk up, sparking interest within her.

"Really? I must have been on a sugar high. Or perhaps you just pissed me off."

"We can take it," Yusuke said with a confidant snort. She shrugged.

"As you wish, but I warned you." She opened her can and took a long swing of the carbonated drink. Yusuke nodded, satisfied.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kurama got up from his seat and moved to open it.

"Hey Kurama!" came a boisterous voice from the doorway.

"Great, an idiot to complicate the complicated," Hiei muttered. Yusuke chuckled.

"Oh, c'mon Hiei, lighten up. He's just curious," Botan scolded slightly. Hiei grunted in answer. The girl beside him looked toward the door as Kurama let a tall red-head into the room. His voice was loud and obnoxious and he was dressed in a blue school uniform.

"Hey! So you got her to come! Wow, it looks weird when she's not wearing black," the boy said, looking over at Rose on the couch. She glared at him and he got a fierce 'tickle feeling' down his spine. He froze.

"Hey, Kuwabara!" Botan said. "Rose, this is Kuwabara."  
"Rose? Her name's Thorn, Botan. What's wrong with you?" Kuwabara asked, confused.

"Baka," Hiei snorted.

"Yusuke, you didn't tell him?" Botan asked. The boy beside her looked at her innocently.

"What?" he asked. "I just told him we were going to get her."

"I can tell already that they're both idiots," Rose mumbled.

"What do you expect? They're only human," Hiei said with an amused smirk from beside her. She jerked her head and glared at him.

"Are you mocking the blood of all humans, or just them?" she questioned smoothly.

"They are all useless," he said carelessly, happening to forget at that instant that she too was human in his muse. He let the thought slip, the thought of her _not _being Thorn, and thus _not _being entirely unhuman. She growled.

"Take it back!" she snarled at him. The room fell suddenly silent as she seethed, everyone looking at her curiously. She stood up and looked down on him. "I said 'Take it back'!" she yelled, glaring at him.

"What'd ya say this time, Shrimp?" Kuwabara asked with a smirk, coming over to lean over the two, his hands in his pockets.

"Shut-up!" Rose snapped, turning around and turning her fierce glare toward him, her fist bolting from her side to smash him in the face. They all stared at her in shock as Kuwabara stumbled and she turned back to the fire youkai, who sat impassively, although he too was shocked at her actions. He said nothing in his daze. Suddenly, Yusuke flew from his seat and jumped to her side, Kurama following suit and striding to her other side. They each grabbed one of her arms, holding her.

"Let's take her upstairs," Kurama said to the detective. Yusuke nodded and they began to drag her away. She struggled valiantly against their holds, hissing like an enraged viper.

"I refuse to have my intelligents insulted!" she growled at Hiei, her face twisted with fury. At the bottom of the stairs Yusuke and Kurama lifted her, carrying her up them. Getting no reaction from Hiei only seemed to infuriate her more and she struggled to break away, although she was not nearly as strong as the boys she fought against, she did not hit them, as if she did not register that they were the force pulling her away. Finally, as they reached the top of the stairs and she could no longer see the fire youkai, they opened the door to Kurama's room and flung her inside. She landed with a thud on the carpet, directly on the bruise she had gained not an hour before when she landed on the pavement. The day just kept getting worse. She spat a curse and glared at them. Her dark eyes held a bright spark of rage that lightened their color. Kurama took a surprised breath of recognition as she stood and stalked toward them and the door. Yusuke quickly shut it and sighed, sagging against the wall.

A few seconds later, after the testing of the door knob and finding it locked, an angered fist slammed against the door, making the entire wall and floor shake, scaring the shit out of Yusuke as he leaned against the wall, making him jump away from it. Kurama smiled half-heartedly at his jumpiness.

"Okay, no more sugar for her!" Yusuke said jokingly with a nervous grin. Kurama shook his head and continued to smile.

Authoress' Note: w00t! I'm back. For those of you who didn't read my review, I got a virus on my computer. It threatened to wipe out all my stories, but luckily they were able to be saved, for which I am ecstatic over. so yeah. Here's the new chapter!

**__**

Reviews:

SSSRoaB: :P. yes I am still alive. lol. Its alright. You've been forgiven :P. just don't let it happen again. heehee. Lol. Thanks for all the praise. And personally, I like this story almost more than the prequel. Its got a lot more depth, less romance, and tons more action. But I also think that the side story will be even better than this. :P if only because my writing style has improved so drastically. Hehe. Legend huh? Sounds interesting. And yes, I like to torture the Youkai. its more fun that way. Ahh… so you think Jazz is the great evil? Well I see we already have the suspicious! Very nice! Hehe. Yes, I would like Hiei to cut Cassidy up too, but I kinda needed her to show what school was like for Rose. She plays a HUGE role in my side story. :P hehe. Here's yer update! Thanks!

**baka-chibi-puffs**: I can't tell what's going to happen! I love keeping you guys guessing! Hehe. Yeah, she DID get seriously pissed, didn't she? Hehe. You predicted it just right. hehe. I've bound Kurama with a threat of rabid fan girls if he tells ANYone! so I don't think you'll squeeze it outta him. :P heehee. Go Kurama.

**miyako:** thank you. Hehe. I agree! Its just too fun not to share it with the world! :P I'd like to see the athletes competing in that sport. Hehe. All insane fan girls. And it IS fun. thanks again! ****

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**: Jazz plays a nice part later in the story, so keep pondering over those questions! And yer half-right with yer analogy right there. but I can't say anything about her until way later when she appears for the first time or I'll ruin it. :P and yer suggestion has already been put on paper. its basically what my side-story is about entirely. HEHE! You predicted what would happen too! yes, much Kuwabaka bashing! . I feel very loved. Lovin' the kick-a$$ long revvies!

Yes, well thanks again! Just a note, I actually FINISHED this story in my notebook the other day! So yay! All I need to do is find a week that I can sit at my comp for 60 hours and type it all up! then take another 20 hours to go back and edit it! I'm trying to pump out these chapters with more regularity now, so stay close!

Reviews, they are like yummy food that fuels the imagination!

J


	7. Determination

Warnings: ahhh…. One pissed off girl..

__

The Welder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Seven: Determination

"Hey, is it okay that we've put her in your room?" Yusuke asked as he leaned against the wall next to Kurama's door, which imprisoned an angered girl that they had abducted not long before. Kurama nodded.

"Yes. Don't worry, I expected her to come in in a rage, so I have taken precautionary steps to ensure she does not escape," he explained. Yusuke shrugged.

"If you say so," the boy said, straightening from the wall and turned to walk down the stairs. Kurama listened to Rose in his room to hear a satisfied snort from inside. Confused, the kitsune walked to the top of the stairs. Hiei looked up curiously and, taking his friend's hint, stood and walked up the stair. Kurama nodded toward his door and Hiei nodded, using his Jagan Eye to look into the room.

After testing the doorknob, assuring that it was locked, Rose pounded on the door, just for good measure, smiling. Perfect. All according to plan. She turned and looked around the room. A large window was across the room, in front of her, with some kind of thorny plant blocking its escape. Her eyes scanned quickly over the rest of the room, which was a modest affair. Nothing worth examining more closely. A bed sat in the far, left-hand corner, with a desk on her left. A bench sat in the right-hand corner of the room, near the window. A closet lay just beyond the desk, its doors shut firmly. She listened to Yusuke's sugar comment and grinned devilishly. The sugar really didn't have anything to do with it, although it did spark her adrenaline.

Suddenly, the girl felt familiar eyes on her back. Her grin vanished and a snarl replaced it.

"Hiei," she said in a loud whisper. The two that stood outside the door heard the threat in its undertones.

How did you know? Hiei asked her through his telepathy.

Your eyes. I could feel them through the door. You've watched me so often I've memorized the feeling, she told him as she turned back to face the door, a smirk tracing her features. She could hear him snort.

Kurama looked over at Hiei, asking a silent question without words.

"She knew it was me. She could feel it," the Koorime said. Kurama nodded.

What is she planning? Kurama asked silently.

To escape, Hiei replied.

Anything else?

I don't know. Thorn must have done it, probably to protect her from psychic demons, but I can't read her mind, the other explained. _There is nothing I can learn now,_ he said, turning away, Kurama nodded, shocked, and followed.

Rose smiled and turned back around as she heard them walked down the stairs, taking another inventory of the room. The window exit was blocked, the exit she had hoped to take. She turned doward the door again, kneeling down to observe the lock. It was a strange lock, one she had never seen before. It was locked from the outside, with no keyhole in which to pick. She had picked many locks before, but never had she every seen one like this. Her eyes narrowed angrily as she saw the futality of her seach for a way to pick the lock, unless she did it from the outside.

"Damn you, Kurama!" she shouted, both her fists pounding on the door hard enough to make the majority of the house shudder. She could almost feel Kurama's inward smile.

Kuwabara looked up and shuddered, a bag of frozen peas pressed over his left eye, which was swelling heartily.

"Man, she still gives me the creeps," the tall boy said. "Even though she has almost no Spirit Energy."

"I wouldn't underestimate her. Thorn probably hid it before she left," Hiei said, leaning against a wall, listening to her pace on the floor above them.

"Yeah, well how do we know that she'll even help us?" Yusuke asked.

"We should work on trying to make her realize she contains this power first. Then, once she finds it, she'll want to explore it. She'll need help and we'll be there to assist her. When the time comes to fight, she'll want to repay us," Kurama said.

"Blackmail?" Botan asked. Kurama nodded.

"Yeah, well how do we know that she still has the power? What if Thorn sealed that away too?" Kuwabara asked. No one answered. No one wanted to think about that. They were all greatful when there came a knock on the door. Kurama answered it.

"Hello, Keiko," he greeted. "Please come in." Yusuke tensed and looked around fearfully for someplace to hide.

"Yusuke Urimeshi!" came a sweet voice, tinged with anger. Yusuke turned around slowly. Kuwabara grinned foolishly and Hiei smirked. Kurama smiled faintly. They knew what was coming.

"Ah, hey Keiko! What's up?" Yusuke asked with a stupid grin, his hand straying to rub the back of his neck.

"Yusuke, you said that you'd go shopping with me and we'd meet at the store at three. It is now four thirty!" the girl fumed, her hands on her hips.

"Really? Oh, well, I, ah, guess I lost track of time!" the boy said, his grin growing wider. The girl sighed and her arms dropped to her side.

"It took me forever to find you! I had to walk all over the place until I went to the Kuwabara's and Shizuru told me that you might be here with Kuwabara!" she said, but she looked relieved to find he was okay.

"Would you like a drink, Keiko?" Kurama asked the girl.

"Thank you, that would be wonderful," she said. "Next time, tell me when you're not going to be on time, Yusuke." Yusuke nodded and moved over on the couch so she could sit down. "Why is everyone here anyway?"

"Ah, just picking up a package for Keonma," Yusuke said hastily.

"Oh?" she asked. Yusuke nodded. Kurama returned and handed her a drink. "Thank you. Where is your mother, Kurama? I haven't seen her."

"Mother is out on business for the next few weeks," the kitsune explained.

"Oh."

Hiei listened as Rose re-tested the door's lock. Her pacing was slower, he noticed. He tuned out the people around him as they engaged in further conversation.

Rose tried to turn the door's handle again. Nothing. She stood there a moment, thinking. Okay, everything has a back door, and emergancy access. This should be no differant. She studied it again. Just a normal handle, but where there should have been a lock was nothing. Ingenious for someone who didn't want anything escaping from the room. Well, it _should_ have been no differant, although it was. She turned back toward the window. She had gotten the strangest feeling that, no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to break the vines. She shook her head. Stupid thought. She placed a hand on the vines. They felt sturdy like an immovable tree branch under her hands. They must be made of some kind of tough plastic or rubber, she thought. Finally, after a few minutes of trying to tear the plant, she stopped. She would have to find something to cut them with. She looked around again. There was the desk beside the door, right across from the window. She walked over to it. It was clean, neatly kept. The computer was off and there was nothing on the writting area. She quickly tested the drawers. All of them were locked. Damn. But that wasn't all. She looked at the locks and found they were the same as the doors. And the day she remember to put a paper-clip in her pocket too! Hey, it was handy to have when you needed to, umm, well, get into places. Geez, it was easier ripping out tusks from a rabid hog than it was to escape from here. If only she had her duffle bag. She might find her pocket knife in there from a camping trip (a solo one, might I add) a few weeks before. Damn it all again! Next time, she would think things through more throughly. She had just been to excited too think about that.

She sighed and moved to sit on Kurama's bed. Okay, think. She could hear them talking downstairs and, and hour or so later, the door opened. Four people exited. She strained her ears to listen more closely. The girl who had come into the house not long before, her steps were light, Kuwabara, who's steps were heavy and wide-spread, Yusuke's, who's she remembered from earlier that day, and Botan's, whose were cheerful and bouncy. Two left. Hiei and Kurama.

She sighed once again and fell back on the bed, which smelled like blooming flowers. She stared at the ceiling, thinking. The sugar was leaving her system and she felt slightly sleepy. But that didn't matter, she had only used it to spark her anger so she might get thrown into a room and escape. Well, her plan had kind of worked. She scowled, but it hadn't really worked. After all, she hadn't escaped.

She listened to the two downstairs as she thought. They were quiet. Okay, well, they had to let her out sometime. When they did, she'd say she had to go to the bathroom and go from there. They couldn't keep her locked up forever. She looked at her watch. Almost 9:30. She could hear Kurama walk into the kitchen. Well, they had seemed kind enough. She shook her head. No way! They had kidnapped her! They were they enemy and she couldn't trust them, no matter what. She ignored that little voice in her head that said she could. It was stupid of her to get trapped like that. She could have struggled a little more. She could have refused to go down the hole-thing. Anything! Now she was thousands upon thousands of miles away from home, in the hands of the minions of someone called Coin Moo or whatever, who probably wanted her dead. Great. What a wonderful life. She sighed and put her hands behind her head. Well, she'd get out of this somehow, she'd always managed to get away before. Although, she couldn't ever recall being in the hands of someone who might have wanted to kill her. The stakes were high this time. Curse it all. She found herself wondering what her other self would have done. Agg. She shook her head violently, clearing her mind of the thoughts. It didn't matter, she wasn't like that anymore. She'd just have to rely on her usual skills.

"Rose?" came Kurama's soft voice on the other side of the door. Startled, the girl sat up quickly. "Would you like something to eat?" Stupid boys and their stupid ability to walk so quietly. She thought a moment, contemplating. They were going to feed her? Even though they wanted her dead? Well, she was hungry. She should eat before she made her great escape.

"Rose?" he asked again.

"Yeah," she said, standing. She listened as he unlocked the door. It didn't sound any differant than that of a normal lock. No matter, she'd be gone soon enough. Kurama opened the door to see her standing in front of him, waiting with a glare. She turned the glare to him with her deep, dark eyes as she walked from the room. He followed her down the stairs and gestured into the kitchen. Hiei already knelt, a little grumpily, beside a short table. Kurama gestured for her to take a seat. She paused a moment before kneeling beside a disgruntled Hiei, copying his posture. Kurama set plates and bowls before them filled with rice. It looked to her that they expected her good behavior.

'Well I'm certainly not going to run away from a free meal,' she thought as they began to eat. 'Its just a good think I like rice.' They were all silent while they ate. Hiei seemed distraught over something. It was clear he did not like sitting at the table, not to mention using chopsticks seemed to anger him as he dropped them and cursed. Forks were much better, Rose thought, although she settled into learning how to use the utencils easily, as if she had used them often before and her fingers remembered the movements, even if her mind did not. It was not long until they had finished and Kurama had cleared away the dishes. After doing so he sat down again.

"We know that you did not mean what you said to Hiei," the kitsune said as last, breaking the silence with his melodious voice.

"I mean everything I say," she said blandly. Hiei snorted beside her.

"You were just trying to escape by hoping you'd get thrown into a room with a window," the youkai said. She didn't say anything, but pursed her lips into a hard line. He looked at her suggestively. "Am I right?" She shrugged.

"And what if you are? It doesn't matter," she said. She stopped and climbed to her feet.

"Going somewhere?" Hiei asked. She glared at him, planting her hands on her hips.

"I need to use the bathroom, if that's okay with you, Mr. High-and-Mighty," she said sarcastically. Hiei snorted and Kurama nodded, explaining that there was a bathroom across from his room. She nodded and turned away. She walked quickly up the stairs, eager to be gone. She opened the door. Only to find there were no windows.

"Damn!"

Both boys smiled. Fooled her, that they did. (sound like Kenshin!). Kurama stood and walked into the sitting room. Hiei followed. He took a seat on the sofa and buried his nose in a book, struggling to hide his smile as Hiei sat in a straight-backed chair behind the sofa. Rose came down the stairs a moment later, scowling. Hiei didn't bother to hide his smirk. She glowered at him.

"Something wrong?" Kurama asked, keeping his boice bland even through his slight smile.

"Nothing," she said with a snap, taking a seat on a recliner, crossing her arms in a pout. They sat in silence for a long time, the girl unconsciously tapping one foot in the air as she fumed, her right ankle resting on her left knee. About two hours later, the captive spoke.

"I expect to be released before next Saturday," she said. "Unharmed," she added.

"Hm," Kurama said, seemingly too far ingrossed in his book to register her words.

"You can ignore me all you want, but I will be leaving before I have to take the Regents tests," she said. Her foot tapped more furiously. Kurama nodded half-heartedly, clearly ignoring her. She snorted and looked away, out a slowly darkening window, tightening her arms around her chest.

"Why does this Coin Moo want me?" she asked a while later. Kurama glanced up at her. The setting sun was nearly gone and the darkness blanketed her tanned skin. Her eyes were alight, even in the shadows, even though her bangs, which had fallen from behind her ears, and framed the sides of her face, shielding his view. He could still see the light through the thin curtain.

"He'll tell you soon enough," Hiei said gruffily.

"Is he your boss?" she asked.

"He is the ruler of the Spirit World," Kurama said. She turned to look at him.

"I guess that means I'm in trouble?" she asked.

"No," the kitsune said.

"Then why does he want me? And I want the truth," she said, her voice stern, like a commanding officer demanding a soldier to recite a message.

"We've already told you. We need your help," the kitsune said.

"And I've already told you that I have nothing that can help you. I don't remember, and I have no power."

"We are aware of that. Your other self told us you would remember nothing," Kurama said, putting down his book. He watched confusion flit across her face from the corner of his eye.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You told us before you left," he said.

"Why?" He hesitated. The truth was that they had been after her as an assignment from Koenma and had been told so that they would not hunt her after she left, but he shook away the thoughts. He didn't want her to think they were still enemies.

"So that we wouldn't try to find you." She was silent. She was good at diciphering and read between the lines of the sentence easily. She knew very well that they were the enemy now.

"Well, you've found me, defenceless might I add, with only the title of a murderer to my name," she said scoffingly.

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked quizzically. She snorted.

"I know that you must have been told by now about the view my fellow students hold of me. I killed those people. I am a killer." She glanced at them. "Yet that doesn't seem to phase you."

"Hn, where we come from you learn to live with it," Hiei grunted.

"You are demons, aren't you?" she asked quietly. Kurama nodded slightly. She nodded to herself.

"Thought so," she said, looking back toward the window.

"How?" Hiei asked. She shrugged, her expression wrinkled in confusion.

"I don't know. I could just......_feel_ it," she said. She blinked and shook her head, ridding the idea from her head. "Forget it. I never said anything." Hiei glanced at Kurama, who glanced at him as well. She could sense demonic Spirit Engery?

"So what kinda are you two?" she asked, looking back at them. They hesitated slightly.

"I am, well, kind of, a fox demon," Kurama said. "And Hiei is a fire demon."

"How can you 'kind of' be a fox demon?" she asked.

"Its a long story," he said, his voice suggesting they change the subject. But Rose was not to be so easily put off. She sat up straighter and got comfortable.

"I have time," she said, hinting that she literally had nowhere to go to in a hurry and that she had nothing better to do. Kurama gave a small sigh.

"I'd rather not talk about it now," he said.

"And I'd rather not be here right now, but I am," she said with a slight snap. Hiei smirked. Ha, the girl caught the fox by the tail. Kurama hesitated before hastily unraveling a vague story of how he had escaped to the human world to escape death. She sat quietly, without moving, but Hiei could tell that she was keenly interested.

"Hm, so how did you end up working for Coin Moo?" she asked, twisting around the demigod's name unconsciously. The fox youkai told her about the stolen artifacts, sparing her many of the details. She listened paciently, rolling what he said in her mind and studying it like a valuable artifact that might prove useful later in life.

"So what about your powers?" she asked quizzically. The darkness was growing thick. No one bothered to turn on a light.

"What about them?" Kurama asked.

"Well, I can already tell by that thing in your window that you work with plants and somehow you did _something_ to it to make it strong," she said. "I want to know about that." An idea came to Kurama.

"Let us make a deal," the kitsune said suddenly. Rose pulled back her curiousity with a harsh check of reins, replacing it with mistrust.

"What kind of deal?" she asked wearily. Hiei glanced at his friend. What was the sly fox up to?

"I'll tell you what you want to know, as long as it is within my ability to tell you, and you help us by staying two weeks so we can find out for sure if you still this power. And if not," he continued as she opened her mouth to argue. "Then you are free to go home and we wont bother you anymore." She was silent. Hiei could see her glaring through the darkness, trying to read Kurama's face to see if he was indeed sincere concerning his treaty.

"Everything?" she questioned. Kurama nodded. "And you'll never bother me again?" Kurama nodded once more. Her eyes must be sharp if she could see through the dark, Hiei thought. She hesitated.

"Alright. Two weeks from today and not a day more. I guess it couldn't be that bad." She shrugged. They wouldn't want her dead if she had this power. They seemed trustworthy enough to make an arrangement with. Kurama smiled to himself, the slight expression hidden by shadows. "Under one condition," she added.

"And what is that?" Kurama asked.

"That I not be treated like a child," she said.

"Agreed," Kurama said. They shook on it. The past repeated itself once again.

-----------------------------

Authoress' Note: first off, all I gotta say is YOU CAN'T TELL ME SUGAR DOESN'T MAKE YOU ACT DIFFERANTLY! other than that, w00t! Finally, another chapter. I know that no one here knows about where I live, but here we have a festival and we have a king, queen and court selected to represent it. Well, I did the contest we call it a personality pageant, not a beauty contest, or I definitely would not have won and I won the spot of Queen. So my personal life went to hell. Everything came after my 'queenly duties' as they were soon called. So hence the reason for the lateness of this chapter. I swear I will start getting back on track and update more regularly! Plus my friends are starting to read this, and they're really into it, so its like… -evil glare from friends- when I don't update. -sigh- so thank them when I start to get off my ass and update. Thanks to all!

**__**

Reviews:

Dyinglight:

New reviewer! first off, thanks for actually looking at my stories :P glad to see they're enjoyed . About the plot twists, personally, I can't stand a story were you know exactly what's going to happen. Hence the reason for all of the catches in the story line and unexpected things. Lol, I'm happy to see that they're understandable. I tend to get side-tracked sometimes and make things confusing. Here's an update for you .

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

Hiya again! awesomely long review, which I love . Lol, revel in the action! :P although there is far more to come just wait and see! Lol. And Rose didn't exactly kick Yusuke's butt.. She just kinda… umm… well I guess she kinda did . Glad to see you find Rose interesting. I try to make her interesting. Not too strong, but quite rebellious. :P it goes against nearly every Mary-Sue I know, which is why she is this way they're always like 'oh! Of course I'll help you!' . anyway. Lol. And if I was Rose I wouldn't be listening to much reason either, I mean, these freaky people just walked in and kidnap her! Its like.. Wtf?! Lol. And you'll see what's up with the memory thing later I'm not giving any spoilers in this story :P. I LOVE THE LONG REVIEW! thanks!  
  
**miyako14:**

:P awesome rabid fan girls, that we are! . Thanks for the review!

I hope to see more of my original reviewers in the future! I haven't seen many of them it quite a few chapters! But thank you all who reviewed and find this story interesting.

J


	8. Memories

Warnings: reminicing...

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Eight: Memories

'Damn, I just hope I haven't gotten myself into a bigger mess then the one I already have,' Rose thought. She lay on Kurama's bed late that night. She couldn't sleep. She still didn't trust them enough. She had found the pocket knife in her duffle bag and quickly put it into her pocket. She would keep it close. Just in case. It was clear she was no match for the two demons in brute strength, not to mention that, if Jazz was truthful, they had powers to stop her. And she had a gut feeling that she did not want them to use her as target practice.

She went over all the things Jazz had told her. Okay, so there was this thing called Spirit Energy that was possessed by every living thing. People could manipulate it to their wishes, creating deadly weapons. Supposedly, demon Spirit Energy was much stronger than that of humans, so even if she had this Spiritual Energy stuff at her disposal, she still wouldn't be a match for the two youkai. Well, in two weeks she'd be gone. She was confidant that they'd find nothing.

She looked out the vine-guarded window. There was one of the special locks on it, but Kurama had opened it to let in the cool spring air. Streaks of moonlight trickled through the plant's vines, shedding a pattern of light and shadow on the carpet. There was a tree outside the window, whose leaves were newly opened, placing more shadows on the floor. She was oblivious to the fact that a certain fire demon sat in the tree, listening to her shift on the bedcovers and sigh with uncertainty.

Hiei lay awake in the tree, watching the swollen moon creep higher in the sky. The stars were bright and smiling.

You don't remember me,

But I remember you.

I lay away and try so hard,

not to think of you.

Impatiently, the fire youkai pushed away the thoughts that begged to swarm his mind, to comfort and pain him with memories of a different girl than the one that lay on the bed, not twenty feet away from him, and how she had taught him that the night was more than it appeared. But the wall between them showed that there was a force greater than both of them that separated the two. He looked up to the sky, the moon, stars and night as his eyelids grew heavy, straining to remain open. Finally, he gave into persistent sleep.

But who can decide what they dream,

and dream I do.

**To Dream**

Memory

He looked straight ahead to the slowly darkening sky. They sat together for the hour it took for the last of the glow to diminish from the sky and the coolness of twilight to come about. Stars began to shimmer in the sky. Diamonds in the sea of blues and blacks. The moon was bright, a smiling pool of wonder filled, alabaster, light. The air took on a chill breeze, but the temperature was perfect in every aspect.

Thorn's eyes had risen to look at the stars above them, taking in their bright beauty. A smile curved her lips. A smile that was strangely genuine. Hiei's eyes moved to glance at her, wondering.

The nightly creatures sang gentle songs, blending the cool breeze with their warm voices. Even BlackFire was silent on her back, seeming to enjoy the night. Neither of the two moved. Only the small zephyr touched them, making their hair sway with its gentle waves. The grass was a soft gray, bathed in the waters of the moon's fingertips. Neither offered a word as they watched to moon steadily rise and set in the sky as well as the stars shift position around them. Nor did they move. They waited. Waited for the other to make their move. Hiei thought he could outwait her, thinking of her impatience on the last day of their training. But she never moved. Not even a twitch. Nothing.

-Well this isn't the first time I say that people underestimate me far too often-

Her words rang in his mind, from the first time they had met. 'Hn. Looks like I've underestimated her. No matter,' Hiei thought. He watched as he saw the shadows in area before him begin to lighten. Dawn was approaching steadily at his back. The night sounds were slowly being replaced by the murmurings of waking birds and the life of the day.

Hiei looked at Thorn. Her smile was slowly fading, just as the darkness of the night was. Her eyes, which had reflected the moon and stars in their dark and valiant depths, were slowly fading into their bright chartreuse dye. Suddenly, the distance was thrown bright with the sun's first streaks of light, and Thorn's smile vanished. Her eyes changed too, they brightened, but in a morbid way.

End Memory

The dream swayed, the image of Thorn fading to that of Rose. So much alike, yet so different as well. Their eyes changed from a bright chartreuse to a deep emerald so dark, if not for the light reflecting in their depths, one could swear it was black. Hiei could feel the disappointment and cried for Thorn to return. His cries went unheeded.

I believe in you.

I'll give up everything just to find you.

Memory

She knelt down next to him, taking his cloak, which lay draped over her arm, and placing it around his shoulders. He twitched, but did not wake. With painstaking slowness, Thorn raised her hand up to his face, brushing the stray hairs that fell over his closed eyes.

Hiei opened his eyes slowly to the touch. He blinked before lifting his head. He felt the touch retreat and looked to his right, where Thorn knelt with a small smile. She sat down beside him as he watched her.

End Memory

I have to be with you,

to live,

to breathe,

you're taking over me.

Memory

There was a soft weight on his left shoulder. He looked down. Thorn was leaning against him. He thought that she had fallen asleep until she spoke.

"I thank you for your kindness, Hiei." He was startled at her move. His eyes widened as he stuttered under his breath. But he didn't say anything, at least, nothing that made sense. He looked away, toward the cave's entrance, trying not to think. Evening was approaching quickly. It surprised him. The entire day was gone.

"You are very warm," Thorn said suddenly, quietly, just audible over the fire. "Will you keep me warm right now, Hiei?" He didn't say anything, and was startled by the request, but suddenly, he relaxed. He felt his breath deepen and his tense shoulders loosen as he hesitantly put his arms around her shoulders as she placed the blanket around his. She moved closer and sighed in content as Hiei tenderly rested his head on hers.

They stayed like that for a long time, pulling the blanket closer to themselves as the night settled over Japan, bringing with it the chill of Autumn. They built up the fire into a large, greedy flame that licked the air in its hunger.

It had been nearly two hours when Thorn looked up at him. Hiei lowered his eyes to look into hers. There was something different in her eyes. They were still bright green, but their edges were softer and they lacked both their usual humor and sullenness. She sat up straighter and placed a hand on his chest, her face moving closer to his. She closed her eyes and brushed her lips against his.

Hiei took a quick breath, but was not as surprised as he would have expected he would be at her boldness. Electricity burned his senses as they touched. But it was short-lived, although it was a sighingly sweet burn. He closed his own eyes and reached forward for another. The second was longer, yet still little more than just a feather-light touch. He lifted his right hand to cup her chin as they moved closer. Thorn's hand went to the back of his neck, her gentle fingers in his hair as they faced each other.

She pulled away for a moment and they opened their eyes slowly. She lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I-" Hiei didn't let her finish as he brought her chin up and occupied her lips with a long, lingering kiss. He gently encouraged her closed jaws to open. He could feel her sigh inwardly as she gave in to his prompting kiss. Her hand trailed slowly down his chest, making him shiver with pleasure. His own hand had moved into her long, thick locks, which were as silky as the softest of threads. He leaned toward her, closing the space between them. His left hand, which had been draped around her shoulders, moved down her back, tracing down her spine and making her shudder. He leaned even closer, slowly lowering her onto her back. She lay back on the large blanket, her hands fingering his tough muscles as they engaged in another long kiss. Hiei followed her to the ground, laying beside her as he traced the curves of her body down to the top of her skirt with his right hand. She took away her left hand and took hold of his trailing hand, placing it just below the skirt's top, enclosing his fingers around her pelvic bone before removing her own hand and placing it on his shoulder. He took his thumb and began small and gentle circles on the sensitive flesh that lay to the inside of the bone, making her catch her breath at the pleasure evoked. She removed her hand from his shoulder, tracing his torso down to his belt. With her free hand she began to undo its clamps.

End Memory

Have you forgotten all I know,

and all we had?

You saw me mourning my love for you,

and touched my hand.

I knew you loved me then.

He yearned to see her again so suddenly he could feel his stomach tighten, even in his sleep. He wanted to see her, hear her voice, feel her skin beneath this hands, taste her kiss. The touch of that night haunted him like a ghost, the feelings tearing through him like a knife's point. Their feelings had mingled together, intertwining and becoming one, blending until they were no longer separate, but a single feeling conveyed by both. Their hands never left each other's flesh until dawn, but it was only that, merely hands. Their feelings had bred and mated, forever to be one; unbreakable, unstoppable.

I believe in you.

I'll give up everything just to find you,

Memory

"He's sleeping now, Kurama. And he will never wake unless I speak the words that break his slumber. And only I know those words. Soon, I'll be in a similar sleep," she said, looking up into the sky. The east was beginning to lighten slightly.

"What do you mean?" Hiei asked. She smiled at him, her eyes, he noticed, were not their normal brightness. They were softer, more natural to look into. They reminded him of the eyes of a normal human instead of what she was. Whatever that was.

"I mean what I say. He will never awaken unless I tell him to. Soon, I will put myself in a similar sleep. There is only one who will be able to wake me after Rose regains control of this body. And I doubt Rose will ever see them again." She sighed once again. "I came to tell you not to hunt me anymore. BlackFire will never live again unless I make him rise, and I don't want to do that. Rose does not posses the power to wake him, so there is no need to worry about that. Until Rose dies, or this body becomes too weak for her, I will be asleep in her mind and then, when she dies, only then will I wake to remake her body. Unless those specific words are spoken by the only person who knows them, you will never see me again..."

End Memory

I have to be with you,

to live,

to breathe,

you're taking over me.

Memory

_You can't go, _Hiei spoke to her, speaking through her mind pleadingly. She smiled such a sad smile, one could tell it pained her to leave.

I must. I'm a soldier. My wounds, wounds of love, are far too deep to heal, so I am of no use. I've lost myself and it is something I cannot regain again any time soon, she said back to him. _But I want you to remember something for me, Hiei_.

What is it?

Never forget: Every Rose has its Thorn. Her eyes fell away from his and settled around the entire group.

"Tell Koenma that if the world is ever in danger, Rose will be a strong ally for you. She wont be aware of her powers, but that doesn't mean no one can show her how to use them. She's stubborn and she'll fight hard if she feels she should. But perhaps, when the world is on the verge of being destroyed, the one who holds the password will awaken me, and we will all meet again," Thorn said, turning away. "Good luck on future missions and don't be hesitant to call on Rose. She'd be happy to help, I'm sure." They watched as the girl turned away. She waved over her shoulder before walking into a tree, which had suddenly grown into a bluish 'x', and disappearing. They never saw her lip tremble.

Hiei rushed toward the portal, but it closed before he could reach it, sealing itself back into the solid tree.

"Damn," he cursed, hitting the tree with his clenched fist. He leaned his forehead against it and closed his eyes. If he concentrated he could barely pick up her scent. Kurama watched in silence, Yusuke and Kuwabara quiet in their unknowing state.

I'll find you again, Hiei vowed to himself. _I will. And I'll never let you leave again_.

End Memory

I look in the mirror and see you,

if I look deep enough.

So many things inside are just like you,

taking over.

Again, the image faded to blackness, leaving him to mourn silently in the shadows.

I believe in you,

I'll give up everything just to find you.

I have to be with you,

to live,

to breathe,

you're taking over me.

**Dream no more**

Hiei woke with a start, sweat drenching his body as pants shuffled from his lungs. His eyes were wide in the dark as he quickly glanced toward the barred window beside him. He swallowed thickly, forcing back the aching lump in this throat and the burning at the back of his eyes. What was that? He had felt it only when he was on the verge of passing out from pain. Kurama called them tears. Horror filled him for the first time in his life. True horror. She might not ever come back to him.

No! He shook his head fiercely, trying to rid himself of the negativity. He needed to find whoever it was that held the password to unlock her. He had vowed he would find her. He would keep that promise to himself.

a.b.c.d.e.f.g.h.i.j.k.l.m.n.o.p.q.r.s.t.u.v.w.x.y.z

Kurama sat in the bed of the guest room. He had not trusted Rose with the connecting bathroom in truth. Too many things she could use as a weapon. He dozed half-heartedly throughout the night, listening to the girl across the hall slowly fall into a light and reluctant sleep.

One day down. Now, tomorrow, the real work began.

a.b.c.d.e.f.g.h.i.j.k.l.m.n.o.p.q.r.s.t.u.v.w.x.y.z

Authoress' Note: well, update here! My friend John kept bugging me about it, so thank him. Now, is being a grrrrrr and wont let me use the stars or the underscores or anything else I use to separate a change in scene. i'm trying to think of something that will symbolize the change... hopefully the ones i've put here work...

I DON'T OWN THE LYRICS. neither do I own these characters, I guess I've failed to mention that since like, the first chapter, so this goes for ALL chapters in this story, I DO NOT OWN THE CHARECTERS IN YU YU HAKUSHO. I own Rose, thorn and Black fire/blaze. :P

**__**

Reviews:

Miyako14: hehe, yup, another update! :P and umm…. Very curious as to what you meant by click the button….? Thanks

Damage145: well, here's that chapter you keep bugging me about . And the plant thingy courteously of Kurama will come later, but there's not much of it. Basically its his thorn whip barring the window. Yeah, I didn't edit last chapter very well. And I got this one up in a hurry too, so ignore the spelling shit. sorry to tell you that this story is finished, I wont go back and add too much, and Kurama rigging up the house isn't here, and is off topic :P sorry.

Squeakers: HIYA! I haven't seen THIS name here in what seems like FOREVER! :P. and its going to be a trilogy :P. here's yer update, thanks!

Dyinglight: yay! Glad to hear you liked it. Hope you like this chapter too. :P. good, glad to see you enjoy the twists. I do too. :P here's an update for my 'raging fan group out there' :P.

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: -blush- one of the favorites huh? That makes me feel really good . :P, yeah, Kurama's the brain and its awesome. So Rose has powers, huh? Hmm.. Interesting conclusion… lol. Rose is just a one-hit wonder, ain't she? Lol. Glad to see my unique story-lines are appreciated, by all my reviews. jazz will appear… later. :X this is me not giving hints :P because it would spoil some stuff. And the demon will appear later too, when everyone is sitting around on their asses.. :P. here's yer update. Lovin', once more, awesome love review!

Midnightdream5: I know, you've been like poof gone! :P its okay though. Glad to see yer still with me here . Lucky you, I've got enough homework due this week to make Hiei pity me. :P. Don't worry, Rose has a LOT of questions, but we'll see how they get answered. For the most part, she get answers without even asking. Good, glad to see I've cleared a few things up, although EVERYTHING will be right as pie when I get off my lazy ass and start writing more of my side story for this. . So more answers after I start posting that. Now, yer TOTALLY correct in the last few things you said. Rose IS A HUMAN. And the Black Blaze IS A DEMON. Rose was not exactly like Thorn, which is what Hiei was afraid of, for reasons of his own. She is her own person, neither Black Blaze nor Thorn. The Black Blaze's influence on her character is VERY significant, because its what's changed her life into what it is right now. :P anyway, I've ranted on this long enough. here's another chapter, enjoy and thanks!  
  
I'm glad to see all the awesome reviews I got this chapter. Thank you SOOOOO much. Please send meh more :P I really need criticism, NOT flames, but critiquing. Thanks again!

!!!!!PRESS THE PURPLENESS!!!!!


	9. The Flickering Past

Warnings: a bit of oddness…

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Nine: The Flickering Past

Rose woke with a start to a soft knocking on the door. She groaned and opened her eyes, blinking out the light that pried into her eyes. That was strange, just a minute ago the room had been dark, she thought, anger at herself sighing out in a hiss and snuggling deeper into the warm pillow when she realized that she had fallen asleep, her mind telling her it wasn't worth getting upset over and to just go back into the depthless blackness. Even though she hadn't intended to. Not at all. Now the sun began to gently flow into the room, peeking questioning fingers through the window quietly, trying not to disturb the woken girl as its soft light made her eyes burn, even behind closed lids.

A gentle knock on the door across the room made her grunt in distemper.

"Yeah?" she said groggily, a scowl working its way over her face as she looked at her watch. 4:56. The sightmade her head snap up from the warmth of the blankets, scowling fully by this time. What the hell?!

"Rose, breakfast is ready," came Kurama's soft voice through the door.

"Do you have any fricken idea what time it is?!" she shouted, rolling over toward the wall and closing her eyes again, hoping to regain the few shreds of sleep that still hazed her mind.

"It's eight o'clock," he said.

"Wrong, fox, its five in the morning. On a _Saturday_! Wake me up in four hours, then I'll talk about food," she said. She could almost hear him smile.

"You have your watch set wrong. The time is different here. Four hours, actually," he said. She could hear the laughter in his voice. She groaned and sat up quickly, shaking away the sleepy fuzz in front of her eyes.

"Fine, I'll be down in five minutes," she said huffily. She changed out of the former days clothes that she had worn to bed into fresh ones. Parents, can't even remember to pack pajamas. She put on her favorite pants, loose at the bottom and tight at the top and made of leather that she had apparently worn a lot when she was sick, and a normal, dark green tee that stated 'Supreme Diva' in bright, glittery red letters. Both showed off her lithe body beneath their tight stitches and smelled of the incense she burned in her room called 'Dragon Catcher'.

She flew a brush through her slightly damp locks. Apparently, contrary to belief, captors allowed their prisoners to shower. Once her hair lay flat and straight she pulled it back into a low pony-tail, the tie binding the locks a few inches below the collar of her shirt, and flowed down her back and coming even with the top of her pant's back pockets. She quickly straightened Kurama's bed, of which she had felt uncomfortable laying in, so she had merely laid on top of, and rushed into the bathroom; unfortunately not realizing that Kurama had left the door unlocked. Not that it mattered, right? They were her only ticket home, and it was only two weeks. How bad could it be?

She washed her face with cold water, bringing color to her pasty-from-sleep cheeks and dried her hands after washing them on a fluffy towel. She exited the room and walked placidly down the steps. Hiei and Kurama waited for her at the table as she walked into the kitchen.

They ate in silence, with the exception of an odd, aggravated curse or growl from Hiei as he struggled with the chopsticks. Why couldn't they just eat with their fingers?! Ningens, have to be so proper and difficult!

The meal was over quickly. Rose suppressed a yawn as Kurama cleaned up the dishes. Damn, it was like he was some kind of butler! It pissed her off a bit, mostly because she wasn't used to it. But also because it made it seem as though everything was alright in the world, which is wasn't, or that she was special, which she wasn't.

"So what happens today?" she asked, pushing the thoughts away with distaste.

"Well, we should see what you remember," Kurama said as he put the dishes into the sink. They then moved to sit in the other room. Hiei and Kurama took a seat on the couch opposite her. She had been awake for almost an hour and a half, but her shrug was drugged with sleepiness.

"Its not what I can remember, its the knowledge I gained. I don't remember anything," she said wearily. She might not know much, but the less they knew about her, the better. But, then again, it might help get things figured out faster. And, in her mind, the sooner, the better.

"Well, just tell us the last thing you remember," the kitsune said. Rose was quiet as she thought a moment. The clearest image she remembered was being excited about traveling somewhere.

"I remember that I was going somewhere far away on a trip. I was very excited and remember my friends being jealous that I was able to go there. It must have been a foreign country or something. I was told I went to Japan, so that might be it," she said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I remember something about going on a plane and seeing my mom and dad arguing as we took off." She held her head, cringing. "And the plane took off and... and... and that's it. There's nothing after that." She shook her head, retreating her hand and looking at them.

'They probably think I'm crazy,' she thought to herself, even though their expressions were entirely blank.

"Maybe we should take a different approach," Kurama said. He glanced at the youkai beside him, who nodded. Kurama stood up and walked past a clearly confused girl, walking over to the TV that sat beside the window opposite the two couches. He placed a half-rewound tape in the set and turned it one, pressing play.

The Tape

All was normal, but for a broadsword, which was vibrating on its stand angrily. If sound had accompanied the filming, it would have buzzed an annoyed tune. Someone walked through the wall to the camera's left, and looked around cautiously. She was short, with long hair that fell nearly to her waist. She wore a dark tee-shirt with writing on its front and dark, bell-bottom jeans. She did not face the camera, but the camera picked up her features easily.

The tape hadn't played more than a few seconds before they saw Rose's eyes widen and a gasp escape her lips. Hope that she remembered was replaced by confusion as they witnessed pain flash across her face as her hands rose to hold her head, her eyes squeezing shut in agony.

"No! No!" she screamed. "Stop it!" Kurama went to her side as Hiei hastily pushed the buttons on the remote, trying desperately to work the contraption. He finally hit the power button and the screen fell blank.

"Rose!" Kurama shouted, his voice deepening to a boom as he took a hold of her shoulders and shook her gently, yet firmly, trying to snap her back into reality. Her eyes did not open as she ignored him. It was clear that his voice could not penetrate the howling of her pain. Then, as if sensing that the screen no longer held the pained image before her, she suddenly stopped her struggle and sagged against the couch. She was unconscious.

…..…….….…………………....…………….…………….....................

Rose woke up to a pounding headache. She groaned and put a hand to her head. If she yelled loud enough, her mother would come down from reading the morning paper and give her an aspirin. She sighed, taking in the unique scent around her. She thought a moment, then tested the air again. Strange. Her room smelled like musty incense, not fresh flowers. Memories hit her like an on-coming bus, making her open her eyes and bolt up on the soft bed, startling the girl beside it. A damp cloth fell form her forehead to land on her lap. She blinked stupidly at the slightly familiar girl beside her. She felt her head reel. She blinked rapidly until the room stopped swaying.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"You're hurt," the girl beside her said, her bright red eyes wide with worry. Those eyes. So familiar, but she had never seen innocents in the other eyes. Who did they belong to? "You should lay down," the girl said softly.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, her face twisted in confusion.

"I'm Yukina. I came to heal you," she explained. A doctor?

"Something happened. We don't know what it was, but it seemed you remembered something. Something... disturbing," Kurama said. Rose looked up, startled at his voice. She had not realized he was there. He stood against the other wall, his arms crossed as he faced the bed. Hiei sat on the bench next to him, watching her with his keen scarlet eyes. His gaze, she noticed, was different, sparked with some unnamable emotion.

She looked from the fire youkai back toward the mint-haired apparition by her side, then back again. When she turned to study Hiei once more, Kurama had moved in front of him, blocking her view. She blinked and shook her head disbelievingly.

Hiei let out his breath. His pulse was swift, the slightest spark of uncomfortable fear coming to his eyes with the worry that dwelled there. He sighed and looked away. Thorn had somehow found out his secret, and the last thing he wasted was for Rose to know. He silently thanked Kurama for realizing why she was giving the two such strange looks. She had been comparing them, as though she could sense their similar linage.

"I remembered something?" Rose asked at last, looking up at Kurama. He nodded. "What was it?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," the kitsune said. "But first you should get some rest. Both Hiei and I could find nothing wrong with you, and neither could Yukina. You should rest, then we will find out what we can." She nodded, although still confused and dazed. She began to lay back down again when her face suddenly lit up with recognition. She bolted back up in the bed, her head screaming for a moment at the movement.

"No!" she groaned. "Another damn fit." Her eyes shone angrily.

"A fit?" Yukina asked quietly, looking up with wide red eyes. The girl on the bed nodded without looking at her, her eyes hard and glazed as they looked into nothingness.

"When I get a memory back, I have a fit. The doctors say it's because of the shock of getting a memory back, but when I wake up, I can't remember it." They looked at her questioningly. She sighed. She really didn't want to explain it, but it looked like she would have to.

"It's like this. Let's say I see something familiar, something that I saw all the time when I was sick and it held some kind of meaning to me. At least, I think they hold a meaning. But when I remember the meaning, and sometimes even if I don't, I fall unconscious. When I wake up, no matter how many times I re-see the said thing, I never remember what it stood for or why it held any meaning to me." Kurama nodded and seemed to close the subject, again telling her to rest. Yukina stayed at her bedside while the other two left, Hiei being sure not to look at the girl.

"This was Thorn's doing," Hiei said as he and Kurama stepped outside the room. His friend nodded.

"Somehow, even in this sleep, Thorn's memories are escaping. She is protecting Rose by wiping her memory of the thing clean with these 'fits'. A clever plan," Kurama said. He glanced at the demon beside him, who was deep in thought.

"Does she know?" Kurama asked, referring to the youkai's shared blood with Yukina.

"I cannot read her mind, remember? But I don't think so," Hiei replied. The kitsune nodded.

"Thorn was very careful in her mission. Deleting every one of her memories and holding them the way is she. It must be difficult."

"We need to find the password," Hiei said, more to himself than Kurama. "We need to bring her back."

Authoress' Note: Well, another chapter up. Sorry it took so long, you can blame it on lack of reviews, because I was hoping I could get really pumped off that chapter. Well, I hope this one brings me more well, revvies for those who DO review.

**__**

Reviews:

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: wow, no criticcy for me? Well maybe you'll find something in this chappy for me . Lol, yes, we must all pity Hiei for the time being. But don't think he's a weaklink- and I hope I don't make him out to be one, because that's not my goal here. O.o anyway, it changed later, so never fear :P. anyway, read waaaay below about the password, for I have a note to everyone about that. Well, here's day two!! You were right when you said it would be interesting, eh? Thanks for the kick-a review!

Damage145:

wow, no criticcy for me? Well maybe you'll find something in this chappy for me . Lol, yes, we must all pity Hiei for the time being. But don't think he's a weaklink- and I hope I don't make him out to be one, because that's not my goal here. O.o anyway, it changed later, so never fear :P. anyway, read waaaay below about the password, for I have a note to everyone about that. Well, here's day two!! You were right when you said it would be interesting, eh? Thanks for the kick-a review! 

:P here's yer update boy.

Dyinglight: Here's another chapter for ya! And look below about the password part

Midnightdream51:   
-nod- I try to make Rose not into some hot-headed chick who's just out to kick ass with no brains. She's someone who thinks about all of her options, who doesn't exactly let anyone push her into anything until she's thought about it. Yes, I do try to make her seem practical, it just suits her character. Hell, what kind of unpractical person wouldn't have run blindly into releasing BlackFire as soon as the pressure was too great, eh? Kurama's just being… I dunno, Kurama I guess. u. I really don't have much to say about him. Hiei's having a hell ova time with this thing though. Lol, thank you for the KICK BUTT review!

Here's another chapter for ya! And look below about the password part-nod- I try to make Rose not into some hot-headed chick who's just out to kick ass with no brains. She's someone who thinks about all of her options, who doesn't exactly let anyone push her into anything until she's thought about it. Yes, I do try to make her seem practical, it just suits her character. Hell, what kind of unpractical person wouldn't have run blindly into releasing BlackFire as soon as the pressure was too great, eh? Kurama's just being… I dunno, Kurama I guess. u. I really don't have much to say about him. Hiei's having a hell ova time with this thing though. Lol, thank you for the KICK BUTT review!**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Feed the hungry purple button, just press it! The worst it can do is bite!

…

Or give you an error page


	10. Watching the Truth, Embracing the Lies

Warnings: touche'

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Ten: Watching the Truth, Embracing the Lies

Rose slept throughout the day, waking only a few times during its course to eat a bit and go to the bathroom. Yukina stayed by her side for the duration, observing her in hopes of discovering what was amiss with the girl. Although the healing apparition could sense no physical pain, and thus could not help Rose, she felt as though there was something emotionally wrong with her without the use of her powers.

Botan came over later that day and was given the full report of what had occurred since the day before. She checked on the girl briefly, to ensure her safety, before waiting for Yusuke to arrive downstairs in the sitting room. The room in which the three, consisting of Botan, Hiei, and Kurama, sat was utterly silent, with conversations flowing sparingly and with the life of flame on a short-wicked candle in a suffocating jar. All three of them were worried. Botan knew that they didn't have much time, and the other two sensed her unease. Who knew when the mysterious enemy would attack? Until then, they were unprepared and at their mercy. Until then, Rose was a burden to them. Until then, they were helpless. They needed to uncover her power, and soon. Apparently, though, this was too much stress on the girl, and she continued to weigh them down. But it would only prove to get worse.

Rose woke up early Sunday morning to a yawning golden sun peeking long, amber streamers over the horizon. She looked at her watch, which she had reluctantly reset; it read 6:23 am. She lay in Kurama's bed a long while, thinking. She tried to pry the memories from the locked cell of her mind, reaching hopeful hands between the bars and willing the tips of her groping fingers to brush the memory. She had done the same thing every time a fit had occurred, but had never remembered what the thing was, nor what the meaning it held, even if someone told her what she had 'freaked-out' about. It was a fruitless attempt, and she knew it, but was determined to regain her lost thoughts.

Fifteen minutes later, she heard Kurama walk from the room across from the one she occupied and walk down the stairs. Damn, he got up early, she noticed. Hiei was up as well, she noted, as she heard their greeting. He must sleep on the couch, she thought. She wondered if Hiei would go back to the demon world. Despite their kindness, she still wanted to escape, and thought that, with the help of her pocket knife, she might be able to take Kurama down. Probably not though, as demons were said by Jazz to be far more powerful than humans. But they must see her as a threat if they kept _two_ demons here to protect her. So, she reasoned, Hiei would not leave, at least, not while she was still here. She sighed and waited a bit longer on the bed before getting up, unwilling to leave its warmth. She quickly got a few clothes and checked the door. Locked. She cleared her throat in annoyance.

"Kurama," she called softly, just loud enough for the keen ears of the kitsune to hear her. A moment later the boy opened the door. She muttered a thanks and pushed past him into the bathroom.

"She seems to be settling in nicely," Hiei said as Kurama returned back downstairs, continuing to read the paper that he had discarded to tend to the girl.

"Yes," he said. They listened as she turned on the water.

"Humans seem to have a cleanliness issue," the black-clad youkai muttered. Kurama chucked in mild agreement. The shower was swift and couldn't have lasted more than six or seven minutes. She came down the stairs about twenty minutes later after straightening her things and making Kurama's bed. Her hair was neatly brushed and held back diligently with a black tie. Her black shirt held the expression 'She-devil' in bloody red letters below a v-cut collar, revealing her clawed necklace, the beads dully reflecting the overhead light and the silvery pieces reflecting the bland expressions on their faces in its slight curl. She wore black pants much similar to the ones she had worn the day before, only with red stitching holding the leather together, accenting the scarlet letters on her shirt. Her clean black socks were silent on the floor.

She sat down across from Kurama silently, Hiei on her right. None said a word as Kurama finished the paper and began to start their morning meal. By eight o'clock the food was ready. Silence was their only other company, as well as Hiei's inconsistent mutterings as he struggled with his eating utensils. The meal ended promptly at 8:20.

"So what was it that you showed me yesterday that caused my fit?" the girl asked a long while later, after Kurama had cleaned the kitchen and they had moved into the sitting room. They sat on separate couches, respectfully, and the other two looked up at her, uneasy with her request and uncertain as to whether or not they should tell her. For her own protection.

"Could you show it to me again? Don't worry," she said when they looked skeptical. "I guarantee I wont have another fit." Her assurance finally made them nod. Kurama stood up and walked over to the television, just as he had done nearly 24 hours ago. The screen lit up in the screen as the two watched for her reaction, waiting for her to scream in pain. But the scream never came as the tape continued to play.

…On the Tape…

(In a Vault-like room)

.. The vault was large and very spacious, even though deeply infested with multiple items. One particular item caught one's attention. Near the center of the room, placed on a wire stand that was barred like a prison and was covered in white scraps of paper that held incantations, was a large sword. The weapon was close to three feet long and thick, its body alight with an unearthly glow that made the paper on the thick wire spark and spit in distemper. The stand rattled in time with the sword's vibrations. If sound had accompanied the film, one surely would have heard it buzzing a tone of anger and annoyance.

To the left of the screen was a wall, and from that wall melted a figure. They were short, most definitely human, and stepped through the steel-enforced wall. They were short, and specific, yet still unmatured bodily curves labeled them as female. Long, dark hair fell neatly down her back, nearly to her waist in an untamed tumble. A dark tee-shirt, with indistinguishable writing on its front clung to her torso, accenting her slight curves, tight jeans following suit. She did not turn and face the camera directly, but its high-tech lens easily drank in her features.

She stepped fully from the wall from which she had come through, and looked about, settling for a mere moment on three mystical items in the middle of the vault, only for her attention to be stolen by the item beside them. Her eyes narrowed as her head jerked slightly toward it, flicking long bangs from behind her ears and easily hiding her features.

The girl stepped forward cautiously, but with a bold placement of her feet as she crept toward. She walked with the careful grace of one who was used to sneaking about in places she knew she had no right being. The sly, stalking stride that spoke of intelligence and cunning.

It took but a moment to reach the caged weapon, and she knelt to come even with it, her head titling as though listening to its vibrations, which seemed to calm slightly as she stopped before it, although its vibrations were now turning into shudders of exhaustion. Her right hand lifted from its place by her side, reaching hesitantly through the wires of warm black metal to run them over the glinting metal surface of the sword.

A brilliant light burst from the stand that blinded the camera momentarily. When it faded, it showed the two once more, still seeming to converse, unmoving but for the slight shiver of the large weapon. The scrolls on the wire had disappeared with the girl's touch and the light. There was a few moments that passed before the girl stood and wrapped long, gentle fingers, about the hilt, unsheathing it from its prison. Her eyes darted a bit, being sure that no one saw the motion as she held it in her hands. Her attention was draw back to the sword when it suddenly shrank into a dagger-like size, and faded from view. Her expression was startled at first, but soon became excepting. She knelt down, pulling up a single pant leg and placing the hidden tool in her tall boot leg before pulling the pant leg back down to its normal resting place.

She quickly stood, straightened, and made back toward the wall from which she had emerged from. She carefully slinked back through the wall, exiting from the camera's view. ..

Rose's expression was curious throughout the playing of the video, her head tilted slightly in rapt amusement. She looked as though both perplexed by the tape, and amused by it. As the black and white scene closed Kurama quickly stopped the tape's play, letting the tempting voice of a commercial overtake the silence. He did not wish for her to have proof of their former mission to obtain her and the sword, it would only prove to further conclude in her mind of how little they could be trusted.

Hiei watched her as Kurama turned off the television with a sharp eye. He was surprised when he saw her smirk, then give a rounded chuckle. Kurama looked over his shoulder at Hiei, who returned the gesture, both hoping that one had picked up what the other had clearly overlooked that might have contributed to her bout of laughter. But their uncertain and startled looks revealed that neither knew the laughter's cause.

"Is there something funny?" Kurama asked, soft questioning curiosity blending in with his musical tones. She chanced a glance to his seemingly sincere features, then closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly and allowing her laughter to dim a bit.

"Not a thing." She laughed a bit at this before continuing. "Except for the fact that this is one very huge joke. Really Kurama, where did you find someone who looked so much like me? And those special effects were very good. I don't think I've ever seen any so real!" The smile her laughter had brought widened with amusement.

"You think it's a joke?" Hiei asked her icily, his eyes and voice hard. "This was no joke. That _is_ you." He paused a moment as she turned to look at him, her eyes filled with more cold disbelief than amusement. "You don't recognize the sword?"

Her smile's edges flattened slightly and her expression gained a hint of a confused shadow. There was silence breeding in the air as they allowed her to ponder over his words. Realization fluttered brightly over her face after the said moment passed.

The sword… The one on the tape… with the black spikes protruding at the base of the blade, as well as the sapphire that sat regally in its hilt… it was the same one that stood regal and deadly over her futon at home, although it currently lacked the awesome glow that it had showed on the tape.

She gasped in a near-silent manner.

"No… I couldn't have stolen it…" Her tone was disbelieving, her head shook slightly in a 'no' gesture, her dark eyes wide and shinning, her features blaring out uttermost shock. "No… Its impossible…"

"Its not so hard to believe," Hiei grunted.

"What _is_ difficult to believe," Kurama said. "Is that you took it from the most heavily guarded safe in all the worlds. And managed to escape without detection." She proceeded to give both of them a startled look before her eyes hardened slightly and her expression picked up a touch of fiery defiance.

"Listen, I admit to being able to easily sneak my way around places I'm not supposed to be in, if the situation is in my favor, but there is no way I could do both that _and_ **somehow** take a sword with me too. Not to mention walking through walls! Excluding the fact that _that_ is impossible, it would still be far too difficult," she blurted out, sitting up straighter. She paused for a moment and then fell into an embarrassed cloud of silence. Maybe she had said to much…

"Well, it didn't seem to difficult for you," Hiei said blandly, earning him a hardening of her down-turned eyes in annoyance.

"It wouldn't have been as hard for you then as it is for you now," Kurama said. "You were, after all, deceased at the time. A ghost."

Rose looked up at him, her eyes unregistering and blank before their emptiness was filled with unruly amusement. Laughter erupted from her lips in a river of snickers, before bubbling delicately through the air.

"Dead?!" she gasped through her laughter. "You have b-been wrongly informed dear f-fox!" Her laughter trickled through the cracks of her voice and into her words, making them jump with the disruption. "I was never dead Kurama! I was injured, but not dead! If that was true, I could assure you I wouldn't be sitting here in a real, living body! Now _that_ is amusing. What a laugh!" Her hand slipped to her stomach as her laughter constricted the muscle there. The laugh was not one of joy, or even of amusement, although traces of it could be found there. It was a laugh of pity and understanding of a joke that they didn't know. It was a sound she frequently used, if one judged the ease in which it slipped from her throat.

It took nearly a full minute for her to finally settle down, and there was silence, her smirk keeping the air bouncy, even as it yearned to drown into the silence of disapproval that slithered from Hiei and Kurama. The two knew she would not believe them now that she had no possible recollection of what had happened to her.

"So what's on the rest of the tape?" she questioned, still smiling, but doing so to fill the empty void that hung in the air after her outburst. Kurama merely shook his head.

"Nothing concerning these matters," he said with nearly a cold tint to his voice. Hiei sighed in disbelief and regret, standing to walk across the room. He slipped on his shoes quickly and opened the front door. It shut quietly behind his muscular back, swathed in his black cloak.

Rose stared after him strangely, with a mixture of confusion and distrust, as he left without a word, following his movements to the door, watching it even after he had closed it and, no doubt, left. With every step he had taken a bit of her smile faded until she was left with an unsettling feeling in her stomach at his movements and the glassy look she had seen in his eyes.

"Was it something I said?" she asked Kurama, her eyes drifting away from the door to look at the down-cast eyes of the kistune, which skipped along the floor. She sounded hurt, he noticed. His eyes picked up a fray in his carpet. He would have to tend to that later.

"No," he lied, standing and walked from the room, leaving her to sit alone in the brooding silence.

'Dammit, what have I done now?' Rose thought, her brow knit in confusion.

…….……………………….................................................................................

Authoress' Note: alright!!! I revised this ENTIRE chapter. Its still the same as it was, of course, but its writing style is more up to date as to what my current style is, especially concerning the Vault Scene. I've basically rewritten all of it . Originally that passage was just copied and pasted from the original part in the Legend Lives. So yeah, all better now .

**_Reviews:_ **

Reiko5: yes, poor hiei, who can never catch a break. Again, I give no hints as to the password. I don't wanna raise any hopes. Here's an update for ye.

baka-chibi-puffs:lol. Don't worry, yer not the only one who wants to know the passy. Hehe, here's the update for ya. behave Kurama.

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: :P haha, making you cuuuuuurious . But I'm glad that you'd rather find out later. It adds a lot more style to the piece if you don't know right now. Sorry. Lol, thanks for the help though, it really does do good, helps me figure out if I'm giving too much away or not. So thanks. But if you have any more, e-mails rock more socks :P. just don't want people going back into the reviews, reading 'em, and guessing anything that I say yes to. u ya know? Anyway. Yes, I tried to make sure that Thorn thought of just about everything. Although, you'll find out later some more about that. About Rose's power, I wrote it down somewhere about what's going to happen about that, if she has any at all, but you'll just hafta wait until i find it and write it up. lol, thanks for the kickass review. It was awesome. Thanks!!

Black-Rose-Tsuki (formerly Dyinglight): here's an update! Thank you!

Damage145: here ya go. Update for ya. Enjoy!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Feed the hungry purple button, just press it! The worst it can do is bite!

…

Or give you an error page


	11. Contemplation

****

Warnings: I just love Hiei when he's depressed

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Eleven: Contemplation

A small black figure made its way through tall, regal trees. Their step was without speed, without caution, but bold, yet thoughtful as well. The destination of that step was undetermined, picking its way through the trees without thought, relying on instinct to lead them to somewhere safe. Not that this certain fire youkai needed to avoid any possible trouble. But it would not suit his mood at this moment. It was as if his feet had a mind that functioned on their own. And it felt as though that were true. He was numb to the thought of actually directing them, instead letting them track through uncharted territory.

An afternoon sun filtered softly down through the slivers of cracks in the thick tree canopy. The golden pastel spread warmly over the leaf litter below, as though to light the path that his feet took.

He could feel the wrongness. And it was so very wrong. His eyes skimmed softly over the ground, watching the sway of his black cloak blindly. Listening to the gentle crunch of deceased leaves with deaf ears. This was wrong.

She was Thorn, at least in part. Yet the twin of the woman denied it, and with such conviction. The girl denied her own, witnessed, death. And thus, being witness, was the truth, or must hold some logic at least. That was proof that something other than mere unconsciousness had occurred that day.

Rose might not have her memories, which was their proof that these things had happened, even though they had told her, as well as _showed_ her what had happened, but she could at least be a little more open to the fact that what she witness could very well possibly be the truth. She denied that it was really _her_ on the tape. That she saw the _truth_. Yet, she still did not except the fact that it was at least possible. And yet, it lay right before her very eyes! And yet…

Hiei's eyes rose upward slightly as he stopped, pondering still more over this thought.

Perhaps she believed exactly what people had told her to believe. What had been expectable for her to think. She is not one who wished to stand out, and perhaps it is why she denied any chance of something like the truth actually happening. But perhaps she was afraid to remember. Perhaps pain lay in trying to remember. Or maybe even, just perhaps, she didn't want to remember at all. Perhaps she…

Hiei blinked once. That was far too many 'perhaps' for his tastes.

"Where are you, Thorn?" he asked himself in a whisper that a breath of a breeze stole away. He looked up at the tree branches above them as they swayed slightly, as if to give him a message in a code he could not understand. He stood there quietly, allowing the breeze to rustle his cloak against the fabric of his pants, murmuring fingers of air slithering against him.

Time had passed since Hiei had last seen Thorn. Well, unless one counted the body she had once occupied. The one she still did, but unconsciously. But one could not count Rose. The girl that had helped to create the woman Thorn, certainly was not Thorn, although alike they might be. Yet that was to be expected. After all, Thorn was born from that soul. In reality, although the youkai did not except the concept very well, Rose was the original of the two. She had taken the Black Blaze from his stand, she had learned from him, had _agreed_ to create Thorn. She had agreed to fuse part of her very own soul with a portion of his to create Thorn. Thorn: the powerful being been the result of the experiment, the combining of the two souls. A being. She was neither human nor demon, although her body had been that of a mortal and her spirit, her essence, had been that of a youkai. She was practically a hanyou, or half-demon, having the blood of both the ningens and the youkai. It was a confusing matter that he no longer wished to think about.

But he knew, that if he had told _her_ that he felt humans were useless as he had to Rose a few days before, she wouldn't have argued with his opinions. Yet, she would not have agreed with him on the subject either. Her respect for Rose ran far too deep, and her pride too pristine in her mixed bloodlines.

Life was, oh who the hell was he trying to kid? Life is _still_ unfair. Pain pronged through him. The truth was full of pain. Thorn had known this through experience. Rose probably did as well, conscious of it or not. She had suffered greatly from the ordeal with BlackFire. Probably the most.

Leaves shuffled in a slow-witted dance around Hiei's still figure.

But it was unbearable. Life like this. To think, Thorn had taken her own life of her own free will. She had steeled herself to life, to the possible sorrow that she would feel. From his sorrow that he _did_ feel, that he felt at every hint of Thorn that lurked in Rose's dark eyes and expressions.

But Hiei was no fool. He knew his own heart. He knew that if he was forced to hunt her as he once had, he would crumble. He would never be able to hold her as he did that one night ever again. She would be the enemy, and he would be able to embrace her only if she was unable to walk. It would no longer be a hunt for their amusement. Koenma would grow tired of her power, of her teasing, and would eventually find a way to turn the tables on her. He would discover a way to take her down. Even if it meant her own life. Anything to keep that fiend, the Black Blaze, from terrorizing the world. This would have indeed happened, merely for that damned sword. The damned sword that held more power _away_ from her that it did combined with her body, where she at least held some say over his proceedings.

And Hiei, he knew he would have no choice but to aid the detectives in this task. To be a part of the destruction of the one he held as dear to his heart as his sister, Yukina.

Hiei's expression shifted slightly, upset with anger. He wanted someone, anyone, to blame for what had happened to Thorn. Someone to seek his revenge on for forcing her into her own suicide, so that he might feel better. So that with their death she would come back to life. He wanted someone to kill for convincing her give Rose back her body, for leaving in general, for him caring for her, for everything that made him hurt this way, with an ache that touched his core, caressing it at times, and clawing it during others.

But there was no one to blame. Absolutely no one.

……………………………….................................

Kurama walked into the other room, allowing Rose to come to her own conclusions as to why Hiei had left. The youkai, he knew, was in great pain. But this pain was not the physical pain, or the pain of the mind, but that of the soul, the heart. He knew that Hiei had ways of dealing with his emotions, especially the ones he found unpleasant. His favorite tactic was rage, the kistune knew. He would return with time, after he had fully relieved the hurt from his heart, via the blade of his katana. It would just take some time was all.

Rose sat on the couch, her eyes glassy as she stared absent-mindedly at the floor. One leg lay crossed over the other, as where her arms, the upraised foot tapping at the air in thought.

Alright, so the quiet Hiei was flustered, so what? Why did it effect her so much? The tingle in the back of her mind spoke of grief and discomfort at his very apparent displeasure toward her reaction to the news they had presented her with. She couldn't shake the feeling of worry nagging at her.

Kurama, too, had distanced himself from her to find company in the other room. It aggravated her that she did not have any idea as to what they were feeling.

Rose herself was very perceptive of human emotions. Was it because they were demons that she had trouble picking up their feelings? But emotions burned in their eyes just as they did in the eyes of ningens. Hiei's scarlet eyes had clearly been disrupted from their normal blankness, however, with his shaded eyes and lack of good view, it had been difficult to see exactly what shimmer lay in the depths of those orbs. Judging by Kurama's grim expression at his partners sudden departure, it seemed that Rose was left out on some large piece of this puzzle that would help determine the picture it created. The eyes of the kitsune were also hard, willing to be unfeeling against a, no doubt, barrage of emotions.

Rose was not the type of person to pry into the business of others. Their lives, of the current time or of a past time, were of no concern of hers. But this, no, this felt as though it was caused by _her_, and she'd be damned if she let that feeling fester without trying to sooth it in some way. Mostly with the question of WHY. She felt as though she was bound to these demons with a chain that was invisible to the naked, untrained eye as hers were, that was hidden beneath the vast stretch of webbing that was her life.

…………………….

She had embraced his soul, plunged into the frozen moat he had built about it to discourage anyone who wanted to see its true form. She had somehow broken through the icy coating he had made as further protection, and in doing this had done what no one else had ever done. No one had ever even dared to pick lightly at the surface, even though they knew the treasure lay beneath those icy waters. She ignored the freezing nature of the water and swam closer to his soul with every brush of a hand, every word that tumbled from her warm lips. Upon finding his core, untouched for so long as to be cold to the touch, she embraced it, warming it with her own spirit. It had made Hiei feel understood with such brilliance his head wheeled from it.

It is said that the revealing of one's soul, their very essence, makes them feel vulnerable, but this woman had never done that. She had made him feel whole, as though the wounds on his scarred past didn't exist with a healing hand that could not make their ache disappear, but subside in the least. Her hands were not just for her healing, however. They were rough in texture, but soft in touch. They pushed him to his limits, in body as well as in soul. It made him feel that he had met his match at long last, someone with whom he was equal in strength and weakness. To see someone as powerful as she as an equal made him feel as though his strength was boundless. She had poured strength into his being with her voice, her hands. Even after she had left him, through the pain of his loss, he still felt the strength she had nurtured within him surge through his blood during battle.

Hiei closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rough bark of the tree he was currently sitting in. He had lost her, had lost Thorn. He had let her go, even when he could have stopped her. But he knew she would have objected to his intervention. She had never intended to bring him harm, although he had no doubts that she realized that she would in leaving, and he knew that. But, still, it had occurred. It had still happened, even though it could have been prevented. The pain could have been prevented. And he had _let _it happen.

Hiei sighed, taking in the rapt freshness of the end of spring that still struggled to keep its hold on the Earth as summer slowly pushed it away. A breeze that promised warm nights ruffled his hair with gentle, teasing fingers, bringing with it the soothing scent of Earth on its gentle body. It helped to calm him considerably, however, he knew to fully rid himself of this turmoil and confusion, physical activity was sure to banish it.

A few hours after entering the forest, Hiei stood up, unsheathed his katana, and began to relieve his stress.

…………………………..

With an exasperated sigh, Rose got up from the couch. It was four in the afternoon, and she hadn't moved in hours, not since Kurama had announced lunch. Her body was stiff and grumbled in loathing at being moved so suddenly after such a long period of frozen waiting. She ignored these unimportant protests with the same silence that had sucked away her words all day.

Kurama looked up, surprised and curious, but clearly not showing it. The girl hadn't said a word since that morning after Hiei had left. Her silence seemed odd, although a clearly practiced thing in her life. She had not spoken to him once in the time he had known her at her school in Tanglewood, when silence seemed to overshadow and engulf her back then, when now it was merely a patient companion at her side. The only real time she had spoken out was during their abduction, where anger seemed to fuel her voice into something a bit more lubricated. But now she spoke very plainly, bluntly, and at times seemed almost surprised at their expectance of her blatant use of expression filled words.

He looked at her now with more observation in his eyes. This girl was certainly less shallow than they gave her credit for. Although, at this moment, he didn't doubt that the feeling was mutual.

Rose leapt effortlessly up the stairs. She was curiously tired of the silence, the emptiness. It nagged at her now as it used to do after she had woken up. Before, there were always voices. There were always _people_, she knew. After, there had been people, and always voices, even if they had been ones of fear or disgust. But she grew used to it. The feeling that some part of her was missing. An important part. She never had been able to shrug it off, to just let it slide. Now, more than ever, she felt it, and could not ignore it as she had before. The void pierced her with a pang of guilt. And it was so odd. People never forgave her for however it was she had acted, never gave her a second chance, and she never felt guilty when others were hurt. She was hurt too. No one ever tried to help her.

Rose opened the door to Kurama's room roughly, but with control. She couldn't release the thought of what had happened that morning.

'What the hell is wrong with me?!' she asked herself, kneeling down to burrow through her backpack. 'What the hell is wrong with _them_?! What did I do to make them act like this around me? I didn't die, and I don't remember anything! I can't help them, so why don't they just let me go the hell home?!?!'

She retrieved a large text book from the depths of the large back, fishing out a binder as well. She put them in her arm, still fuming silently as she made her way back down the stairs. For the past odd number of hours, all she had done was think about the past few days, and all it had proven to do was upset her. She was angry at herself for being so foolish as to except the deal she had made with Kurama when she could easily escape in just a few short days.

But, part of her reasoned calmly, they would just hunt her down again. And who knew what mood that would put them in? It might just encourage them to take her to their boss. Upsetting him might mean her life.

And then there was that little, annoying voice in the back of her mind that constantly poked and prodded at her, whispering of its curiosity as to what else lay on the tape. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see what else was on it. She knew it held more answers than she held questions to.

Rose sighed and walked from the room, supplies in her arms. She walked back down the stairs and resumed her seat on the sofa, opening up the book and struggling to concentrate on her homework, of which would have been due the next day, had her life been a normal one. But it just drilled into her brain her current predicament. She couldn't take this anymore, she just wanted to go home. This thought proceeded to manifest itself into something more. Perhaps that portal in the city was still open? Maybe she could slip through that. Her mind honed on the thought. It would be worth a try. Even if it wasn't open, she thought, they might open another to look for her back at her home. It could work, as long as she kept from sight until that time.

She slammed her book shut with a clap and threw it carelessly beside her. Concentrating on homework wasn't happening.

………………………………...........

The Minamino's front door opened quietly at nearly seven that night, startling the girl on the couch from her reverie. The click of the handle was hardly distinguishable, but a roar in the silence that proceeded it. Rose looked up to watch Hiei walk through the door. He hesitated when he saw her there and glanced at Kurama's blank face, but proceeded onward, closing the door uncomfortably.

His thick black hair was wet, dampening the dark blue that normally reflected off it into a deep violet hue, and it was apparent from his scent that he had taken a long swim to wash away his troubles.

The youkai did not turn to look at them again as he took a seat on one of the chairs in the room, pulling his legs beneath him and resting his katana on his shoulder absent-mindedly.

Rose quickly turned her gaze away from him, fists clenching and her shoulders shaking. She could feel a slight sweat break out along her brow. She had never noticed his sword before this. Was Koenma's new orders to kill her? She bit her lip and studied the whiteness of her knuckles, her legs twitching, ready to flee.

Streaming sunlight trickled through the low-set windows of the room, informing without words that the sun was beginning to set. The sky was beginning to change its daylight colors, merging the bright blue of day to a purplish pink of sunset. Streamers of orange burned over the tops of cotton clouds and glared at the darkness beginning to settle about the city.

The house was quiet, but not to the extent that it was before. It would have even been peaceful, three breaths filling the air, if not for one that was hoarser than the other, calm breaths. Rose shifted and swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her fretful frown did not help her respiration. But it was a step up from the two auras that once filled the house formerly.

Hiei was set in a cloud of isolation and morbid thought, at least as far as Rose could decipher. But perhaps it was just the guilt of what he would have to do. But this was not shown in his blank expression, which gave no hint to his thoughts. She looked away, shuddering slightly at the thought.

Kurama's sharp nose twitched slightly. Chuckling silently to himself as what he speculated was Rose's thoughts, yet worried about its consequences as well, he stood from his seat.

Hiei glanced at him as the kitsune came over to him, bending to speak in his ear.

"She's afraid you're going to kill her. Give me the sword and I'll take care of it," Kurama informed him. Hiei was startled by his words, and spared a glance toward the girl on the couch to see her flinch slightly as she saw him look over at her. Knowing that the red head was right, he reluctantly gave him his katana. Kurama took it and straightened, leaving the room with it in tow.

Rose watched her captor suspiciously, her heart rate accelerating slightly as he walked behind the couch to go up the stairs. Hiei watched her curiously, satisfied when she took a breath of relief. When Kurama returned a few moments later, swordless, the girl relaxed, her breath and heart-rate steadying. Kurama looked to Hiei, who jerked his head slightly in understanding.

This girl was flightier than a bird. One wrong move like that and they would loose their trust in her completely.

……………………………….....................

Later that night, Rose and Hiei took their leisure in the sitting room. Darkness spun a thick web about their shoulders, damming the space between them with a peaceful wall of silence. Shadows hugged the ridges of their figures, slithering over clothing and other crevices. The sun had long set, and only one soft light was on in the corner of the room.

The silence was filtered away after reigning for nearly a hour, Rose's soft voice parting it like a hand does sand.

"What did I do?" the girl asked abruptly, startling the youkai. He looked up from his glazed sight on the floor at her feet quickly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. She did not turn to look at him, but he knew she could sense his eyes on her face, studying it in order to decipher what she meant by the question.

"What are you talking about?" he asked gruffly.

"My other self. Thorn. Sh- I hurt you, didn't I?" she asked, her voice still holding the soothing tone it had before, as though to caress a wound who's depth she could not discover.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, turning his head to study the city lights, blurred by the curtains over the windows. His stomach churned slightly and he could almost taste the Pain seeping into its place.

"Listen, something happened, I know it did. I hurt you somehow. You don't seem angry at me and out for revenge like someone would be if I had hurt their pride. And you don't seem like you're grief-stricken and vengeful for a life of a loved one I might have taken from you. You seem almost pained, like you were dealt a blow to your heart, not to your body," she said softly. Her head was hanging slightly when Hiei glanced at her again, obscuring her eyes with pits of black shadow. He glared at her, scowling, struggling to contain his emotions. She _had_ killed someone. She had killed Thorn. If it wasn't for this wisp of a human girl, Thorn would still be here. It stung, and the thought it led to stung even more. He had this _girl_ to thank for Thorn in the first place.

He opened his mouth to deny her words, to protest in some, in _any_ way, but his throat constricted and closed, invisible hands clamping it shut.

"Please, Hiei, tell me." He swallowed in hopes of loosening the knot in his throat. "I did something, I know it. I just want to know what it was. I want to try to fix it."

"Really Rose, you shouldn't pry into the affairs of others. Thorn wasn't nearly so inconsiderate." The almost mocking, almost spiteful words made the girl turn her head. Hiei looked up as well, watching as the kitsune strode down the stairs with such confidence, an almost smug look in his eyes. His hands worked out small tangles in his water-darkened hair. As the two had spoken, they did not notice the water above them crease to run.

"That's the last time I leave you two alone, Hiei," he said in a lofty tone, humor hinting subtly in the back of it. "You shouldn't let her go around thinking such an absurd thing."

"Hn," Hiei grunted, giving his shoulder blades a slight roll. "Yeah." He forced a smirk to his features, although it was a weak, awkward one. Baffled, the American looked from one to the other, glaring at them without intensity, searching for the meaning she could sense they kept hidden from her in their words. Finally, she got up from her seat with a scowl, pushing past Kurama roughly and trotting lightly up the stairs, an air of proud distain engulfing her.

Hiei let out his breath slowly and considerately. He glanced up at Kurama, who turned back to him after watching Rose take her leave. The youkai gave a brief nod of thanks, shifting slightly on his seat, loosening his shoulders and back from their tense form they held formerly.

Kurama's eyes scanned over his partner softly as thoughts tumbled gently and sorrowfully in his mind.

'I guess some things don't change,' the kitsune thought. 'He's still met his match when it comes to a quick tongue, and she still manages to leave him without a retort. A rare feat. A shame I could not find amusement in it as I once did.'

Hiei's eyes strayed back toward the curtain, through which bobbed headlights from a passing car. Damn. She was good. Too good. She had seen through him as though he wore his emotions on his sleeve. No, she had _sensed_ them. He was letting them seep too much into himself and the way he acted. There was no possible way he was that transparent.

Was he?

No, she was just assuming. But… she had been correct. Terrifyingly correct.

….……………….….…....................................................

Authoress' Note: alright, I know, no update for a while. I've been grounded since the first report card, which said I was failing a class and close to failing a second. then my progress report came out and said I was failing two classes, so computer has been limited to 'school work'. :P don't tell mom, but she's out and I'm breaking rules. . Anyway, this chapter I can't reply to reviews, but I hope to be able to do that at school tomorrow in SH. So please be patient! Thank you for sticking through this! I'll try to sneak on more often :P

Also note that Hiei's torment wont last forever. I think this is the last chapter of it :P. sorry to all of you who adored it, but even I think its getting a little old . But, I haven't edited my story in a spell, so there might be one chapter left! Hang in there!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews are like money, only they can't buy me a Sesshoumaru-sama plushie vv


	12. Struggling with the Truth

Warnings: nothing really. Shocking, isn't it?

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Twelve: Struggling with the Truth

"I don't think leaving her alone like this is wise, Kurama," Hiei said with a quiet voice, glancing over at the kitsune as the boy checked the window beside the door.

"I don't either, Hiei, but we have no choice. We'll be back in less than fifteen minutes. She is sleeping now and shouldn't be up for another hour or more anyway. Her sleeping patters have not been quick to adjust to this time zone.

"We must go. The sooner we leave, the better our chances are of returning before she wakes," Kurama replied. "And it should only be fifteen minutes." Hiei grumbled darkly under his breath a fine little line about ignorant and stupid rulers. Kurama smiled slightly at this as he closed the door behind them, locking it securely.

Rose listened with her hands behind her head, laying mutely on Kurama's bed. Fifteen minutes, huh? Ten would easily answer her questions, she thought. She continued to listen, even as the locking of the door faded from memory, just to be sure they were gone and not setting a trap for her. She then sat up on the bed, standing from it and moving across the room silently. She opened the door, the thing that woke her of her slumber. It had been considerately unlocked by Kurama, of course. The click of the lock had been her alarm clock, and always woke her. Whether she fell asleep again or not was left to chance. And chance smiled on her today.

She glanced out the window beside the door before letting the curtains fall back into place, after observing the lock of course, and its locked state of being. Through the glass dawn hinted a slow raise to power in the east, the false dawn blaring to the world that the day was soon to come. The streets of the city were modestly empty of life, the hour still too young for life to creep from sleep and walk about. Her guards were long since gone.

Rose gave a silent, grateful sigh as she turned away from the window, letting herself relax slightly. She let her eyes dart about the room, and they quickly landed on the desired item they had been searching for. The tape she had viewed the day before sat untouched in the mouth of the VCR, green numbers of the time giving life to the face, the tongue protruding tauntingly. She moved forward, pushing the tape into the VCR and turning on the television, its screen glowing in the darkness an advertisement for a hair product. She pressed the power button for the player and waited as the screen popped up. She memorized the current scene it was fixed upon before stopping and rewinding it. The VCR stopped a moment later, its task complete.

Three minutes had passed since she had walked through Kurama's bedroom door. She had the time in plenty. Her index finger reached forward to press the play button. It hovered for a second, uncertain. This was wrong. Her lips pulled into a stubborn line. No, wrong was keeping the truth from her, even if they were her enemies; and especially if they were her allies. Allies do not keep secrets, even ugly ones, from each other. She had a right to know either way.

Her finger fell heavily on the button.

On the Tape+

A small boy in a large hat flickered onto the screen. He sat at a desk that was suspiciously clean in contrast to the biohazard swarming around behind him in precariously tilting towers of paper. The chair he sat in engulfed him and left him smaller than he originally was. He was looking at the screen with sad, yet clearly frightened eyes.

"Greetings, everyone. I fear that I have found information that will prove both frightening and confusing. First thing's first." The boy shuffled about a bit, dragging toward him a large, beaten book. He held it up and the camera zoomed in on a large image on one page.

"I'm sure you must recognize this."

The page on the screen was open to a long, imposing weapon. Two stabs of black jutting as a pair from each side at the base of a shinning steel blade. The hilt of the blade was long and thin, elegant, with a shimmering jewel in the butt of the handle.

"The sword you see here is one that we had actually acquired many months ago, and have just realized that it has gone missing not too long ago. It had been stealing the souls of demons from the Demon World, so we acquired it and put it in our safe. But _somehow_ it was stolen. The following film was actually taken from our safe's camera. Its not long, but I'm sure you will recognize the person and the item."

The tape sputtered to another scene. Rose recognized the scene as the one Kurama had showed her in hopes that she would regain her memory. The entire scene held a new, grimmer, meaning to her.

At the end of the vault scene, the screen skipped back to the boy's grim expression.

"You all, but for Kuwabara, must recognize Rose, who got back her life after you defeated the Four Saint Beasts. She deceived us all so that she might get her life back, and at the same time, obtained a power that, no doubt, she could not control.

The reason why this sword is so important is that it is not a normal, weaponry sword. In fact, its not really a sword at all, but an imprisoned dragon that has been ensnared in that shape for hundreds of years. This dragon is known by every demon in Makai as the Black Blaze. He was a very powerful creature that killed many people -mostly demons- but including humans as well, in his six thousand year life, and consumed their souls for his own purposes. I have a picture of him here." The young child held up another weathered volume, its pages as thin as tissue, revealing a picture of a dragon.

At the sight, Rose's eyes widened at the sight of the painting that graced the wall of her room, the only difference was the color. Silver rang starkly against dark blue on her wall, and there was a necklace of a serpent about the throat. However, in the book, the creature was black, the jagged scar on the forehead white instead of black as it was in the painting. But the eyes, they raged the same, stark, insanity-driven blue.

"A long time ago, a priest bound him to the sword shape he is in now. From the books that I have read, he has been imprisoned for nearly two centuries. He once occupied the more Demon populated World before he was imprisoned, back when the human world and the Demon World were slightly more intermingled. He was brought here from Demon World, where he was waiting for his wielder. There were terms of his imprisonment given by the one who imprisoned him. The most important one was that only a human could wield him, in hopes to help purify his soul. This chosen human must have a mind of steel to compete with the strength of his psychic powers, as well as a compatible heart. Apparently, our 'friend' Rose had both of these to be able to take him from the stand. Now, here comes the confusing part. How Thorn managed to acquire the sword. If you notice, they look a lot alike. The only thing I can think of is that Rose, perhaps, had a twin, or maybe it's just coincidence that they look alike. But that's irrelevant.

"Now, for your mission. You are to apprehend Thorn and the sword. Kurama, Hiei, I can only warn you once. DO _NOT_ TOUCH THE SWORD! I do not wasn't to risk you two to the sword's ability to steal demon souls without having to physically touch them. This, actually, puts us at a great disadvantage. Hiei is the fastest, and would be best suited for removing the sword, which is the main source of her abundant power, while the others distract Thorn. So now Yusuke must do this while the rest of you distract her. You will all need to work together to defeat her. She possesses the most powerful and deadly creature we have ever known. I will you all good luck."

the credits began, signaling the end of the film.

Tape Ends+

Rose allowed the tape to run a few seconds into the credits before she reality knocked on the door of her dumbfounded mind and she stopped and began to rewind it. She played and adjusted it until it was on the scene it had originally been on, to ensure that her two captors would not be roused into suspicion if they were to play it again and notice it was not on the former scene. She numbly turned off the television set and sat on the floor for a long moment, her legs tucked beneath her and her shoulders sagging in shock. A dragon? In a sword? And not just any sword either, but _the_ sword. _Her _sword. And this Koenma fellow. Who was he?

Many of her immediate questions concerning her situation had been answered, just as she suspected they would be. But that was a sacrifice toward new, and more numerous and complicated questions.

They were the enemy, of that she was certain. And now she was prepared. For what, she didn't know. But at least she knew that her trust was not something they could be given.

Suddenly, realizing that nearly fifteen minutes had passed, she replaced the remote and quietly bounded up the stairs and into Kurama's room, closing the door behind her.

Great. Just wonderful, she thought in disgust. Apparently she was a thief, although she had never stolen anything in her life that she could remember. And this wasn't just any petty theft, like shoplifting a pair of socks kind of theft. She had taken something so strong, that even the powerful quivered at the thought of it. Something so magical, it would put the greatest imagination into a black-out of shock.

This was crazy. And yet, she had seen it. Why would they keep such documentation if it was a joke or even a lie? And if it _was_ some twisted plot created by these people, why had they made it out that they were the enemy, instead of being the ally? At least then they wouldn't risk her trust that they seemed to want very badly.

She heard the door downstairs sigh open quietly. Her spine instinctually stiffened and her heart gave a few pounding beats. Now that she knew the truth about their deception, what should she do about it?

The two youkai walked silently into the house. All was quiet. Almost too quiet. Everything in the room looked untouched, but her scent hung fresh in the air.

"She's awake," Kurama whispered. Hiei nodded. Koenme, being the ignorant toddler he was, had held them up a few minutes more than they had wanted. But he did have some useful information. They were to bring the young woman to him tomorrow.

That day passed very slowly, stiffness infiltrating its gentle nature. It crept around the three uncertainly, as though unsure of its course in this house was in danger. The air hung in thick curtains, stifling the day into silence that muffled all sound. Rose's former stance of stubbornness seemed to melt from anger into self-containment. Her lips were pulled into a thin, thoughtfully grim line, unwilling to part from each other. She seemed to ignore their presents with a cold shoulder and blank stares that neither demon could see around to find out what she was feeling. She was weary around them as well, her actions planned and cautious. She seemed shifty and uncomfortable, but not in a definite way, just by a mere gesture that was never used before, or the simple lack of a motion that was expected from her.

"Is something wrong, Rose?" Kurama asked curiously. He had caught her eyes shifting from Hiei to himself, and the tension was so unnatural, it was unthinkable not to comment on it. She turned her eyes, which continued to remain blank and emotionless, toward him, startled slightly, before shaking her head jerkily.

"No," she said too quickly, her voice without its usual force. "Nothing."

The kitsune gave her an I-don't-believe-you look that was all business. She didn't hold his gaze long, unusual, since she would compete in a staring contest at any time to show her defiance. She scowled, her right hand moving to finger her necklace in a nervous fashion. Hiei glanced at the red-head, who sat next to him. She was… dare he say afraid? No. Just… upset. Yes, that had to be it. Afraid wasn't in her vocabulary.

Rose stared up at the bland and impassive old face of Kurama's bedroom ceiling. She had to get away before they took her to Koenma. If they thought she still had this impossible power, that strength that lived in her sword which was such a ridiculous thought, and he wanted it badly enough, it seemed, before when she was ill, then he might kill her to get it, just as he was probably expecting of the others before. But why would they come after her unless they wanted to kill her? Why not just steal the sword from her instead, without her knowing? The toddler didn't look very intimidating, he was only a child after all, but there was no doubt that he was just a stand-in for more powerful people, someone used as a pawn willingly so his superiors would not be discovered.

It was late that night when she finally sat up from the bed. The moon was high in the navy sky. With painstaking slowness and silence, she rose from the bed and stood, being sure to avoid a creek in the floor that would sound an unintentional alarm as to her being awake, as she crept toward the window. She removed her pocket knife from her jean pocket and opened it. She knelt down by the window, looking first from the thorny vines to the sharp weapon before her. It glinted a seductive grin in the wane moonlight that trickled through the trees, reflecting the bars to her prison off its highlighted surface. And in that reflection she saw freedom. In the past, this instrument helped to shut out the pain of the soul with pain of the body. It would do much more now.

She looked up to the vines, which seemed to glare at her smugly. She set her jaw and reached out, being sure to place her fingers carefully around the body of one branch, and brought the knife upward. The teeth of the tool struggled to get a hold on the smooth and strong plant as she began to saw at her prison bars.

She worked with vigor, her hand grasping the vine to still the plant as she worked, cutting her hands on unnoticed thorns, and making them bleed black bubbles in the flickering light. She ignored her raw and bloodied hands as she started on the second vine, which was just as strong as the first. It took another half an hour to cut the second one. Two down, only a dozen more to go. She glanced at the glowing hands of Kurama's bedroom clock briefly. At the rate she was proceeding at, dawn would come long before she was more than half done.

Her eyes suddenly began to feel heavy, as though invisible weights were strung to them and pulling them downward. Her arms were tired, aching and numb from the work. She pushed through the dull throb all of the pain had whittled down to, and ignored the blood that ran down her arms and she continued on, gritting her teeth as yet another thorn pierced her skin. By three thirty that morning, her pace had slowed to a laborious crawl. She had maybe five or so of the steel-like vines cut, but there was still nearly ten left. She tired drastically, her head drooping and her fingers loosening their grip on the knife.

'Dammit, I can't fall asleep now. In two hours the sun will be up. I have until then to finish,' she thought, struggling to motivate herself into a faster pace. But she knew deep down that it was impossible to complete her mission towards freedom. However, giving up was not something she was used to taking as an option. If she were to fail, her two guards would be weary of giving her even a slim chance to escape after discovering her secret. It was now or never. She only hoped that she could find the strength to continue.

….……………….….…...

Authoress' Note: lala! I know, its been a LONG time. Gomen ne! I'm going to start editing these faster, okay? I'm no longer grounded has a 72 in chem -twirl- so updates will be better, as long as my computer doesn't become dumb. Which it is now. Thank you all for sticking with me through this!

**__**

Reviews:

Really Dizzy:

Lookie here! A new reviewer! Sweet! and you'll hafta find out about the passy and other stuff. Thanks for looking in on this!

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**:  
lol. Yeah, Rose is kinda a hard charry to create, and I have trouble with her sometimes. There are just scenes where what she wants to say and what I want her to say just don't fit together. The thing with sensing Hiei is one of them. She wants to know what he's feeling, but I'll be damned if I let her find out so soon! I'll tell ya though, she wattles it outta me soon. Anyway, no more failing classes. Here's the update! Don't worry, I wont stop this story! Its all written, it just needs editing and stuff. Trust me, I wont rest until it's complete!

:lol. Yeah, Rose is kinda a hard charry to create, and I have trouble with her sometimes. There are just scenes where what she wants to say and what I want her to say just don't fit together. The thing with sensing Hiei is one of them. She wants to know what he's feeling, but I'll be damned if I let her find out so soon! I'll tell ya though, she wattles it outta me soon. Anyway, no more failing classes. Here's the update! Don't worry, I wont stop this story! Its all written, it just needs editing and stuff. Trust me, I wont rest until it's complete!**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews are like money, only they can't buy me a Sesshoumaru-sama plushie v..v


	13. Confrontation

Warnings: insanely long chapter ahead!

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Thirteen: Confrontation

Kurama walked down the hall the few feet to his bedroom. He paused just outside his bedroom door, listening to the sleeping girl inside. Her breath was deep, heavy; in the very deepest pit of sleep. The faintest trace of her scent came through the door. It was mingled with blood. Startled, he unlocked the door quickly, quietly and opened it just slightly, worried. He noticed immediately that there was no one on the bed. He opened the door wider, looking around the room.

Rose sat on her heels, her head resting on her arms, which lay on a blood-smeared window sill. Her breath was drugged with sleep as he stepped into the room. He noticed some of the vines to his plant had been cut, if ruggedly, straight through. He looked down at the girl, surprise contorting his handsome features. Her hands were heavily scratched and raw, bleeding onto the wood sluggishly. She held a pocket knife in her right hand, gripping it like her last life-line. No doubt she thought it was. Its blade held the juices of the plants, its hilt traces of her blood. Shocked, the kitsune walked over quietly and gently pried the knife from her hands, although she gripped it tightly, her knuckles locked around it, it slipped through her inanimate fingers. He backed out of the room silently and locked the door.

"She tried to escape last night," Hiei said as Kurama walked back down the stairs.

"I know," he replied.

"She did something to the blade with her Spirit Energy, although I couldn't see it. No mortal blade could cut your plants," the youkai said knowingly. "She's stubborn. She just fell asleep less than an hour ago." He gave a cat-like yawn and sighed, snuggling deeper into sofa's softness and resting his head comfortably on his upraised knee.

"You watched her all night," Kurama observed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Hiei 'hn'ed slightly, giving the smallest of hard glances to the fox spirit before closing his eyes.

"Yeah," he grunted. Kurama nodded to himself.

The two let the young woman sleep until midmorning. There was no rush. Koenma did not want to see them until the sun was high. It was best to let her get her rest before she met him. Who knew what lack of sleep could do to her.

Just after eleven, the two youkai downstairs heard a muffled curse. Kurama smiled to himself. There was shuffling, and they could hear her mutterings as she went through her bags, searching for, they knew, her knife. The sound fell silent soon after. Doors opened and closed, for Kurama, nearing ten o'clock, had unlocked the doors, water ran and creased to run until, half an hour later, she walked down the stairs. Her proud eyes were downcast, defeated. For now. She glared at both of them in turn as she entered the room.

She wore a thin, black, hoodie that molded to the shape of her lithe torso. Her hair was back, spilling over the hood in deranged streaks of blackish brown and copper from the water. Under her long sleeves, inside of which she hid her hands, they could see she wore thin, black, leather gloves that had no fingers and ran just past her wrist. She wore her usual black socks and pants, as well as a belt that held a chain that looped from it to finish the attire tastefully. She took a seat on the couch, her hair swaying just enough so they could see just the faintest glimpse of a Japanese Kanji symbol on the back of her hoodie, written in bright blue. It read: Dragon.

"Are you hungry?" Kurama asked blandly as she took a seat.

"I've lost my appetite," she said bitingly, her voice cold.

"You should still eat something," he countered innocently. Nothing. She knew his words rang true, but she did not want to release her anger quite yet. She would not admit to his rightness. He stood and walked away without a word.

She was hiding her hands in the opposite sleeves of her hoodie and Hiei could not see the extent of her injured digits. She did not want them to see. It was proof that she had tried. And failed. She was grateful her mother had packed her favorite gloves and hoodie. She hadn't worn them in a while, due to the warmer weather, but loved the feel of the soft leather on her palms and supple material gliding over her shoulders. All in all, her general look was that of a leader of a street gang off the west side. All she needed was a knife. Oh, wait, that's right, she already had one of those.

Rose was silent. She said not a word to them, even when Kurama announced that they were to go see Koenma in a few hours. She sat at the table eating when he spoke, making her chop sticks hover uncertainly, their orders confused as to continue or retreat. The two youkai saw her eyes alight, and not with joy, but anger. Her expression hardened fearlessly as she retold her hand its orders, which it calmly carried out with relief. She finished not long after, just as a knock came to their ears. Hiei stood and moved to answer it. Rose said nothing as she left the kitchen to sit in the other room, taking a seat on a chair with a 'plop' and crossed her arms.

"Hey, Hiei," came Yusuke's voice, laced with its usual cockiness. "Botan told me to help, ah, _escort_ Rose to Koenma," he said, stressing the word mockingly. Hiei nodded and allowed him to enter. The boy took a seat on the sofa, glancing at the black-clad girl. She glared at him fiercely and he looked away to avoid the burning that raged at the points in his eyes were she had glanced. Kurama emerged from the kitchen a few moments later.

"Yo, Kurama," Yusuke greeted with a half-hearted wave.

"Hello, Yusuke. Ready to go?" he asked. Yusuke stood and the three looked down meaningfully at the girl, who seemed content to remain in her seat. She glanced at all of them, her dark eyes piercing and hateful, annoyance buzzing behind their hue. She snorted and stood moodily.

"Now that we're ready, we should get started," the kitsune said as though there had been no rebellion on the girl's part at all. There were nods from the rest of the Spirit Detectives and they stepped out of the house. They waited as Kurama locked the house before turning left down the sidewalk.

Rose watched her surroundings closely, memorizing their route. Kurama walked on her right, Hiei on her left, with Yusuke leading. Again, their posture clearly stated tight security. Not that she could blame them, after all, she had tried to escape not seven hours before.

It felt good to get out of the house and into the bright rays of the sun. Its warmth was refreshing and revitalizing, making her unconsciously lighten and energize her stately gait. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, letting it out in a slow and deliberate sigh. The air was not the cleanest, being in the city as they were, but it was invigorating all the same.

'A wild spirit like hers should not be confined as it has been,' Kurama thought as he glanced over at her. She was grim, her aura still hinting her upset demeanor, but seemingly relieved and, if one could look past her intimidating exterior, slightly happy.

The girl watched impassively as they made their way through the city and to the castle that floated dominantly in the sky, even so much as to refusing to show surprise, shock, or any emotion for that matter, but for that of smooth ice, even when they used some mysterious power to transport them into the sky. Familiarity tingled along the edges of her nerves like a breath of fingertips, causing her to suppress that instinctual shudder to rid it from its aggravating location. As for the reason why she recognized the palace, she did not know.

They walked into the giant building, passing through large corridors big enough to harbor the most giant of beasts. They passed through another set of twin doors, although these not as large as the first set they had encountered, which was overtaxed with a colorful array of monstrous ogres, which ran to and fro in the room, filling what was left of its space with commands, demands, and booms of fretful cries. The room made the castle seem more like a business than a place where a leader of a gang of demon thugs would reside. Only Rose's step faltered as surprise, although it was not visible to the eye; she was shocked. Demons. She'd seen her first real demons. You could hardly count Kurama, being in a human body as he was, and Hiei... well, he just seemed too... Human; not blood-thirsty enough to be a demon. She watched the frantic beasts as the group walked through them towards yet another set of large, red, double doors. They knocked quietly, a grunt granting them entrance.

A small boy, looking to be about four or so years old in age, looked up at them. His brown eyes were proud and stubborn, hard from the choices of finality that had passed before his critical eye. A blue pacifier trembled between his lips from below his gaze, matching the blue of his overly-large hat almost perfectly. The cap seemed larger than the toddler's head could support, but did not topple, or even sway from its resting place, as the laws of physics would have suggested. In his small right hand he held a stamp, which he planted firmly on a sheet off to his right one last time, while his left held the line which his serious eyes had been scanning, before looking up, in an old moldy book that reeked of age and dust.

The four stepped closer to the desk, Kurama moving behind Rose and Hiei moving to her right as Yusuke fell back to her left side. Their positions forced her in front of them, as if she was a prize they had captured and wanted to show to their leader in hopes to gain his approval and be upped in mutual ranking. All they lacked was the proper kneel that suggested total and utter loyalty. But she stood before the desk with a defiant rise to her chin and a daring look in her eyes.

"Hello, Rose," the boy said almost cautiously, as if weary that she might pull a fast one on him. Not that she couldn't, for she was fully able, but she wouldn't. She wanted to know what he had to say, as much as he stirred annoyance within her. "My name is Koenma." Hate and anger flamed within her eyes, alighting them a liquid jade for but a moment before being suppressed and outweighed by her vizard of cold.

"I know exactly who you are," she said, her voice hard and chilled.

"Then you know I am not here to hurt you," he said, his hopefulness retained from his voice only by sheer will power. Her face shattered as an icicle does when it falls from a great height, rendering it to useless and fragile slivers. The hate that burned in her eyes contorted the soft features of her face, making her menacing and a very dangerous force to be reckoned with. She could have grown devil horns and a speared tail with an erupting volcano suddenly appearing behind her and she wouldn't have looked more frightening to the prince.

"Don't try to fool me," she hissed, pounding her gloved fists on his desk, ignoring the sting of pain as they protested to the harsh treatment so soon after their exhausting abuse, and startling the small lord. "You tried to kill me!" she seethed, her voice hot with rage. There was a brief second of utter silence, broken only by the faint buzz of the ogres in the next room.

"I gave you back your life. I never once tried to kill you," he argued quietly, straining to keep his tone even and smooth as a prince should. It was a difficult feat with the fear and anger, born from hurt, that ran within his emotional bloodstream.

"_You_ didn't, but they did!" She jerked her head behind her, gesturing to the three that stood at her back, who were currently gaping in their own private way. "So don't lie to me! I know! I saw that tape. All of it! It was a set up! You made it all up and planted that sword on me so you could frame me for some screw-up you made and didn't want found out by your superiors! Then you send minions out to do your dirty work so that your boss didn't get suspicious!" she ranted, her hands re-pounding the dark wood of the desk. A few of her long bangs fell around her face. The ruler stared at her, too startled to even glare at Kurama and Hiei, who seemed shocked at the mention that she had viewed all of the recording, for their failure to keep the delicate information from their charge.

"That's not true-" Koenma began, only for his words to be utterly demolished into an unrecognizable gurgle as she continued her assault.

"It _is_ true! And its all your damn fault! _You_ sent _them_-" She again gestured to the boys behind her. "After me! And here I thought _they_ were the enemy! But its you! You made them do it! Its sickening that you would stoop to such level! You seemed like a nice kid too! I might not be perfect, but when I have a problem, I at least have the gall to take care of it personally!" Her voice grew louder, raising with her emotions. Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke stood behind her just slightly, in a bit of a stupor. There was sudden quiet, even the rumbling from next door growing dim, as though time itself had halted its natural flow to listen to the girl in her wondrous and deadly, beautiful rage. All that dared pierce the air was her angry seething.

"Its all the truth, isn't it! Admit it!" she demanded.

"I can't. I did not frame you, and it was not a set-up. Rose, you died," Koenma said bluntly. "When you died, you came here, where you regained your life, as well as took the sword. You helped us, but, I do admit that we betrayed you when I found out that you had the sword. It was a dangerous object, that sword. When I found out, I asked my team to... obtain it from you. You and my detectives fought. We lost the battle, and you disappeared. You came back and told us that you were leaving, that we should not try to get the sword back because its power would be gone and that your memories would disappear with it." She bowed her head, shaking it furiously and making her bangs obscure her eyes.

"No," she whispered hoarsely. "No. You... lie." Her voice began to crack, her fists tightening until her nails dug into the thick leather. Her legs seemed suddenly too weak to hold her and she collapsed to her knees. "Its a lie. It can't be... " she croaked. "But," she said, her voice raising a miniscule notch, enough so that her words were clear. Her head pounded with memories screaming for an escape, to show her these people meant no harm to her. "Then why to do your words sound so true?"

"Rose," Koenma said softly. "It _is_ true. I will not lie to you." She looked up, her eyes glittering with tears that her stubborn green eyes refused to shed.

"If what you say is true, then why do you burden me now! Did I not tell you to leave me be!" she demanded once more. "I DON'T HAVE THE POWER YOU WANT!" she yelled fiercely.

"But you do, Rose," Kurama said from behind her, stepping forward, the soft tones of his voice soothing like water bubbling comfortingly over a jagged stone. She glanced back at him, forced to look up at him while he looked down at her seemingly hopeless form that grieved on the floor.

"Did you not hear him?" she asked in a growl, her voice suddenly returning to its usual tone. "You knew I had no power. He just said he knew!" The kitsune shook his head.

"You told us that you would still hold the power, only that it would lay hidden. You also informed us that you would not remember your past as Thorn and your possession of it. It is a complicated matter." She hesitated as if to argue, but instead solemnly shook her head, much to the joy of the pounding of her skull, which soon settled to a dull beating.

"I know you are right," she said quietly. "No matter how much I want to deny it. But it still gives no excuse for your actions," she said bluntly. Koenma nodded.

"I agree," the prince said. "But we need your help desperately. I ask for your forgiveness. And for your alliance in our time of need," he said, his voice humble. She stood up, her former bout of emotion discarded and replaced back within the confounds of its dark cave in her mind as her stony expression returned, the slivers of ice fitting back into place like a puzzle and melting together to complete her mask.

"I accept your apology, but I refuse your offer of friendship and alliance," she said matter-of-factly. Koenma's face fell.

"You _can't_ refuse it," Hiei said. She turned to glare at him uncertainly. His face was stoic.

"Hiei is correct. We made a deal," Kurama reminded her. Realization dawned upon her face and her eyes gleamed with regret.

"Damn," she spat viciously, glaring at him hatefully, but without the rage she had interlaced with her words not a few minutes before. Koenma looked at them all quizzically, Yusuke's expression mystified as well. Kurama explained the details of their pact briefly.

"So we have a week and two days until we must return her," the kitsune concluded. The toddler before them thought a moment, ideas churning in his mind as his teeth churned his pacifier.

"Well, first thing's first. We'll need to find a way to bring out her power," said the young ruler confidently, happy to finally be back on familiar ground and not the hissing thin ice on which he had been treading on before when speaking to Rose. Yusuke gave a lop-sided smile.

"Gen Kai could find anything that's worth finding in her. She did for me," the boy said, pride threading its way over his tongue. Rose looked at him with mistrust.

"Yes, that would probably be our best chance," Koenma said, his voice hopeful.

"So no one's even going to tell me who this person is." Rose's question was more of a statement and filled with scorn.

"You'll find out soon enough," Yusuke said with an extremely amused grin that made her want to smack him.

………………………………...

For this particular part you must think about the first episode of the Maze Castle saga. It's where Kurama and Hiei 'float/fly' from the sky in those orby things of light when they come to help Yusuke and Kuwabara.

Authoress' Note: it's a pretty long chapter. I've been waiting a bit for my old reviewers to get their butts in gear, but it has yet to happen :P. I think I lost a bunch when I failed to update for like a month a while back. Anyway! Here's an update for ya'll and hope to see more faces this time 'round!

**__**

Reviews:

****

**Damage145** here's more to read!

Really Dizzy:

Lol! Thanks! Here's an update for you!

****

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**:

Wow! -saves sayings in other languages forever- :P I love that stuff! Here's a much faster update for you. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the last one! And have no fear, everything will work out for Hiei and Kurama… one day. lol, sorry about the cliffy. This one isn't as bad, ni? Wow, that's the best compliment ever! Thank ye! I really do like to make them seem real and not so distant as they have a tendency to be in the anime. Here's yer update! Thanks!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!


	14. Rose's Taste of Pain

Warnings: sarcasm

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Fourteen: Rose's Taste Of Pain

"What do you want now, Dimwit?"

The woman who spoke these words had a raspy voice and was wrinkled with age. She sat on the front steps of a large temple that stood at the top of a large flight of stone steps. The morning was sunny, but not overly-brightly so, yet the temple was slightly shadowed from the surrounding forest, fingers of umbrage cooling the stately structure. The woods were shadowed as well, and a sinister looked gleamed from them.

Four people stood in the courtyard of the property, consisting of Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Rose, the latter of whom's breath was deep after walking up the long flight of stairs. The girl looked around curiously, her dark eyes sharp to her surroundings, but keen to the older woman, who sat placidly, sipping from a cup of tea. Her pink hair had long since faded gray, and her brown eyes had turned hard from the passage of time. She was dressed in a red and blue fighting outfit with a squat little hat. Her aura gave an impression of grave wisdom.

"C'mon, Grandma, I know that Koenma told you we were comin' today," Yusuke retorted. He stood at the front of the group, annoyed and aggravated from being awoken so early in the day.

"Hm," the woman mused, lowering her cup. She looked up, her eyes critical as she looked over the group. The girl opposite of her straightened, squaring her shoulders defiantly.

"So I have less than a week to transform this rag-tag slip of a girl into a fighter?" She snorted. "Who does he think I am? I'm a master, not a magician." The girl's hands moved behind her back, hiding the clenching of her fists, although her expression remained impassive.

Yusuke shrugged in aggravation. "That's the toddler for ya," he replied.

"I'm an old woman, I shouldn't have to deal with this," the old master said with a sigh.

"C'mon, Grandma, we all know you've got enough spunk to keep up with this one for a week," Yusuke said, gesturing toward the girl, who glared at him out of the corner of her eye. There was something about the American that grasped GenKai's attention. Maybe it was the proud way she stood, or the fire she could see raging in her dark eyes that suggested there was more to her than the hard expression she wore. And yet, there was nothing really special about her appearance that would catch a strangers eye, but for her glorious hair. She was average-looking, good-looking only in her plainness. She couldn't be more than five four, her boots giving her an extra half-inch, and all leg. She had a determined square to her powerful shoulders and thrust her stubborn chin forward with pride. It was evident that she had done rough physical work at one time, and apparently still did, but not to the extent as before. However, without constant conditioning the muscles had begun to grow slack from lack of proper use. Her hands, or what the master had seen of them, were beaten raw with cuts, but neatly calloused as well. GenKai studied her a moment more, scanning her from head to toe before finishing off her tea.

"I'll help, but only if she's willing to work hard," the older woman said, setting aside her cup. Yusuke smirked and they all turned to look at Rose, who stood in silence.

"Are you willing to do that?" GenKai asked her seriously, looking up with hard, beady eyes.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes."

For you to leave me alone, where her unspoken words, but the boys that surrounded her filled in the empty space. GenKai nodded.

"Very well," she said, gaining her usual bark as she stood. "C'mon. Let's get started." Rose said nothing, but stepped forward confidently.

GenKai walked back into the temple as dusk. A worn and wan girl stumbled in behind her. Her shoulders had lost their defiant straightness in her exhaustion, but her eyes were bright, and livid, refreshed, as though the most likely strenuous exercise was what she loved. But there was also anger in her eyes. Yusuke had no doubt that he knew why, thinking back to his own training with GenKai, as he quickly studied the girl. She had thrown insults at him like punches, only they hurt more, and got better results, while the punches... well, they just let him taste pain.

"Go clean up. We'll eat soon," GenKai informed her. Rose said not a word as she turned and left.

Her body ached as though the fire of hell had suddenly started living within it. Her clothes, a spare fighting outfit that GenKai had found for her because her own was her only current clothing, were stained with grass and sweat. Her gait was languid, lacking its usual spring. But, for the oddest of all oddities, she felt almost, well, happy. At least, happier than she had in a long while. It was very strange. Should she not feel loathing, stress, and downright angry at her current treatment? But, it seemed, it was familiar, something set and stable. Something you could hold onto when there was nothing left. Like a lifeline. An extremely familiar lifeline.

The water was cold, so she made her shower swift. She was back with the group in twenty minutes, in fresh clothes that GenKai had left for her, and neatly brushed hair, which was burnished a deep black-brown by the water that it held within it.

The girl with the mint-green hair served them. Yukina wasn't it? Yes, that's right.

"Do you three plan on staying?" GenKai asked a long while later, after the dishes had been cleared away. She sat, looking at them with the superiority that the older generation give the younger. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei glanced at each other, slightly confused.

"The girl stays here, so we can get an early start," the master explained. "You are free to stay if you want." Rose hid her bewilderment with knowing. Her great-uncle would have said the same thing. He had been some kind of trainer for some form of martial arts or something and was a hard older man. He must have known GenKai or something, because they seemed to have the same personality. He had given her fighting outfits for Christmas a while back. Had. He was dead now. He was murdered. Rose shook her head slightly. No need to dwell upon things of that sort. He had died when she was sick and so it did not surprise her.

Hiei nodded. "I'll stay," he said. Kurama glanced at him, his eyes giving an unspoken warning. But the kitsune gave no protest and said nothing. He wasn't one to pressure people, especially not Hiei, about their personal life. Besides, it was none of his business, as long as what needed to be done was accomplished.

"I'll visit frequently," Kurama said. Yusuke nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I'll stop by. Once Kuwabara finds out Yukina's here I don't think I'll have much of a choice. Keiko'll want to visit too," the boy said, sighing. Rose looked at him quizzically at the mention of Kuwabara's name. He glanced at her.

"He's the one you socked in the face," he explained with a cocky snort, tapping his right eye as further explanation, which brought a smirk to the weathered features of GenKai. So, it seemed, she had attitude beneath that mask. The girl nodded slightly and turned away, her mind elsewhere.

"Yeah, well, I'd better get home," Yusuke said, standing and dusting off his pants. "Keiko said she'd call about some stupid notes for a test." He sighed once again and walked out the door, giving a small wave over his shoulder. "See ya!" he called. Kurama left not long after, but only to return later after retrieving Rose's green duffle bag, receiving a gruff 'thanks' as payment for his troubles. The kitsune left for the night just as the sky grew dark. He wanted to be home as to clean the house before his mother arrived back in the morning

Hiei went in and out, hardly noticed, unless he wished for himself to be known.

Rose lay in a bed that GenKai had given her later that night. It smelled of the cleaner Yukina used on the wooden floors, and she almost missed the scent of roses that had imbedded itself in Kurama's pillow. She looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't late, for the moon had yet to enter the window to her left, and she was tired, but she didn't want to sleep just yet.

It was cool in the mountains, but free. Free enough so that Hiei had stayed behind to watch her. To ensure she did not escape. But the feeling she got when she was here were revitalizing, even if she knew she was still under surveillance. And the feeling wasn't just in body, but in spirit as well. It felt like home. And she loved it.

She reviewed the day, starting with the mild pain of straining muscles and ending with numb limbs. GenKai, for being such an old lady, had energy to spare. The master had pushed her to the brink, and when Rose had thought she could inch away from the ledge of exhaustion's cliff, the master had pushed her off its edge, watched her fall, and told her to deal. And deal she did as she fought to hold her grip on the jutting stone. But, as the day passed, she had fallen lower and lower, her hands slipping on the slick rock. And the further down she slid, the easier it seemed to just let go, to let the cold and numbing river of ultimate exhaustion to claim her, but GenKai refused to let her listen to the soothing and coaxing bubbling below her. The master demanded not only total physical control, but mental and emotional as well.

She had discovered soon after her visit with Koenma that the woman had trained Yusuke for a rough total of eight months. Rose knew she couldn't even began to fathom the hell she must have put him through. But, with his annoying attitude, the master must have gone to hell and back. Well, it wasn't any of her business.

The girl sigh and placed her hands behind her head. She took a deep breath, savoring the scent of earth and openness around her, and closed her eyes. She might not like the reason she was training, but she liked it in general and she would work hard to enjoy it until it was time for her to leave.

………………………………...

Authoress' Note: it's a pretty long chapter. Anyway! Here's an update for ya'll! Sorry it was so late, school keeps getting in my way, and for the past week, so have the Harry Potter books, one, two, and three, plus the first two movies. --. Don't ask. Anyway. Reviews rock so many socks!

**__**

Reviews:

Damage145:

I'll update sooner now, no more SATs to study for until ACTs in June. So more updates!

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:**

Thanks yeah, the cliffy isn't so bad for now. They'll get worse later on, sorry to say. But yeah, sometimes they're good. And the 'evil dude' will show 'his big ugly head' sometime soon. I might add some stuff that wasn't there originally because them not being around makes it like 'wtf?' kinda thing. Thanks for the Genkai tip. I've seen it written both ways. Blah!

Good chappy. And this cliffy isn't bad at all. Although, cliffies do get me wondering what happens next, they aren't that bad. Sometimes it's good. Heh... I just contradicted myself. Go figure. Omoshiroi(Interesting), Rose finally believes them and also now knows what happened back when Thorn was around. Though... evil dude still didn't do anything, I can only assume that he'll be showing his big ugly head sometime soon. Oh yes, um... Genkai is one word, well name... you know what I mean. Just thought you'd want to know. I rate this Summa cum laude (Latin 'With highes praise'). Gotta love foreign languages, and hate stupid teachers that can't teach crap. Though, sometimes that's a good thing cause you can just cruise, but it also screws you up at the same time. Oh well, keep up the good work.

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!


	15. Seeking

Warnings: creepy change of feelings…

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Fifteen: Seeking

"But it's been six days, Genkai!" Botan said, exasperated. The ferry and the old master were sitting on the floor of the latter's game room, tea cups in front of them. Botan hadn't touched hers, and it sat chilling on the short table. Genkai's cup was empty and cold.

"And I haven't found anything," the old master said in a monotone voice that hinted annoyance.

"But we know she has it! She saw some of Koenma's tape, so she must be a little aware!" the ferry said. She was worried. The threat had not surfaced lately and it was concerning them all. If they couldn't find the demon, then who knew when they wouldappear in either the human or Spirit World. The thought hadput all of Spirit World in an uneasy state, and all of the detectives available were on duty in search of the creature, including King Enma's personal guards.

"I just told you, she hasn't expressed any form of Spirit Energy," the master said with a snap. "I've pushed her to the edge of her abilities, and she's fought back brilliantly, but she still seems refuse to use it. I'm beginning to doubt Koenma's word."

"He showed you what she did at the Dark Tournament! Spirit Energy like that doesn't just disappear, and we need to find it!" Botan argued. Genkai nodded casually at the flustered grim reaper.

"Yes, I saw her work. But, in case you haven't noticed, that wasn't her." Botan looked at her, bewildered, her head tilted slightly and lips puckered in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" the pilot asked in a high, surprised voice.

"The girl that Koenma showed me was different, maybe not in body, but in nearly every other aspect," the woman said. "They are two different people, living in the same body."

Hiei listened from outside the room, silent and unnoticed.

"Well, unfortunately, Koenma only wants her help, the aid of her power. He really doesn't have time or the energy to care which personality has it," Botan said with a slightly dour and impatient expression. Of course, Koenma was worried about everything working out, what did he care if it was Rose or Thorn or the Black Blaze himself, as long as they were loyal and powerful enough to give his team assistance without killing innocents?

"Hm," Genkai grunted. "I understand his situation, but from what I can see, without the other soul awake, she doesn't have the memories or the power to do as Koenma asks, even though her stubbornness is at such a level that seems impossible." Here the master smirked and gave a small chuckle. "Teenagers. She wont give up. But, again, it seems that her other personality, or whatever it is, holds her greatest strength." Botan frowned at the master's words.

"Then we have to find out who can awaken Thorn, before it's too late," the girl said solemnly.

Hiei didn't stay to hear the rest of their conversation. He walked around to the back of the temple, where music played. He took his time, jabbing his hands in his pockets.

'So they've finally discovered Thorn's little secret. Two souls, bound to make another. It took them long enough to come to the conclusion that I could have told them weeks ago,' the fire youkai thought sourly as he walked along. 'Now that they've realized this girl doesn't have Thorn's power, we can finally start looked for the one who has the password, which is where we should have started in the first place.'

The music, however faint by distance, grew louder as he walked around the temple's walls. It was deep and mournful, but fast-paced, with words he just barely recognized, for the spell Koenma had given Kurama and himself to understand English was beginning to wear away. The prince had given the girl a purple box, much like the one they had received, to help her better understand Japanese. She picked that up as well as she did anything, which didn't surprise any of them, since she seemed to speak it fluently. Well, Thorn always had.

Hiei stopped outside of the open door to a room. Before him was a large room that smelled of cleaning solution. The floor was glossy and sparkling clean, a smiling hard wooden floor. The walls were a bland, expressionless white, but gave the impression of concentration and focus. In the far corner was a small, disc-shaped thing that looked like a metal cookie with buttons for chocolate chips, a wire connecting it to two small speakers. He recognized both from passing glances at Rose's open book bag.

In the center of the room, wrapped in a cloud of detachment, was Rose, throwing punches in the air and thrusting kicks out at an imaginary foe. Both her wrists and her ankles were bound with weights, but the energy in her kicks and punches suggested they were feathers, although the sweat on her brow did not. Her hair was back in its normal, low-set pony-tail that rested on the base of her neck, a few stray strands sliding from their bindings. Her long bangs had escaped from behind her ears, swaying in time before and beside her eyes like the waves on the ocean. He watched her a moment, taking note of her movements which, compared to Thorn, were jerky and clumsy, although graceful... for a human. Her hands, still gloved, were balled into fists. The wounds from her escape attempt had healed, only to be reopened and enlarged by her ruthless training. They had been bandage secretly by the girl, but he had noticed when she asked Yukina for bandaging tape.

'What was the point of giving this human training?' he scoffed silently. As soon as they found Thorn's password holder, she wouldn't need it. Thorn had received training from the Black Blaze and would easily be able to work around being slightly out of shape. Not even the oldest and most powerful ningen psychic could even begin to compete with that. But it was known by everyone, probably even the girl in question, that Koenma wanted to be prepared, and thought that he was not. It was not a good sign.

The song ended, fading away with a anguished howl into nothing. The girl seemed to abruptly drop from her trance-like state and paused to glance at her watch. She seemed surprised as to what the hands on the round face told her. She turned away from the door, her back to Hiei and the door, and walked over to her CD player, stopping the contraption just as the beginning of the next song began.

She sighed and turned around, removing the weight from her left wrist and tossingit into the corner by her CD player. It was then that she noticed Hiei in the doorway. She looked at him a moment before removing the weight from her other wrist and throwing it aside.

"Your left kick is sloppy," he muttered to fill the suddenly oppressive silence. She seemed too tired to argue as she knelt to remove the weights from her ankles.

"I'll work on it," she said, wiping the back of her hand across her brow and shoving her hair behind her ears.

"Did Genkai send you? I know I'm late to eat."

"No," he replied. She didn't bother asking why he was there, if not because of Genkai. Perhaps she was just too tired to care. Besides, she reasoned, he was probably just making sure she didn't try escaping again. She shrugged it off, walking past him and out the door with hardly an exhausted glance. Hiei followed her, walking stiffly beside her. Her step had retained a bit of its bounce, he noticed, as she gazed around the grounds. She seemed content, happy even.

"You know, I can see why Genkai likes it up here," the girl said. Her tone nearly made Hiei balk, but he quickly concealed it with a blink and chanced a glance to her expression. There was hardly a trace of hardness in her tone, and it sounded almost warm. He glanced away from her briefly, uneasy at her sudden relaxation around him. Did she not still think of him- of them- as the enemy? But her face was bathed in the deepening shadows of night, only the faint, smoky gray of the retreating sun shaping her face. He was reminded of himself, telling Kurama that he would always think of Thorn as the detective's enemy. It didn't exactly stick as it had in the past during other missions against other opponents.

"It is very peaceful here," she continued. He gave an indecipherable grunt and fled, using his superior speed to disappear. It startled her and she shook her head.

"You know, that's really annoying," she said, sighing and continuing on her way, but her shoulders were drooping slightly now.

……………………………

Hiei woke early the next morning to a creeping chill. He opened his eyes, looking to the east. The sky was still dark, dawn more than a half an hour away. He turned back, settling deeper into the warmth of his cloak and the warm tree branch. He casually glanced down at the window that sat slightly below him, more from habit than anything, before closing his eyes.

Wait.

He opened his eyes again and looked into the dark room. The bed was empty and neatly made. He scanned the rest of the room, only to prove that indeed nothing resided within it any longer.

He got down from his tree with a swift leap, using his Jagan Eye to find the room's evicted occupant. He found the girl sitting on the front porch, and so walked around the side of the temple. He paused at the building's corner, keeping from the girl's sight.

"You can come out, Hiei," came Rose's voice. A dull pain shot through Hiei's gut, but he pushed it away impatiently. This was no time for memories.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, turning the corner and walking the short distance to where she sat, lounging on the temple's wooden front steps. She didn't look at him and her eyes suggested she was in a distance place.

She shrugged.

'Her awareness is improving,' the youkai thought. There was a comfortable silence that rivaled the uneasiness of the one experienced the night before. The stars were slowly fading and the moon had fallen below the tree line. A milky and stealthy fog began to creep from the forest, rolling along the grassy earth. It gave the area a sinister look, like the dungeon of some sick scientist who mixed too many chemical fumes together. The faint light of the dulled stars shone down on the mist softly as it crawled into the courtyard. The temperature dropped slightly and through the tears in the fog, one could see a stray bar of starlight twinkle off the thick dew that lay beneath the protective cream. Threads of the earth-bound cloud wove together tightly, thickening it into a soup-like solution.

"Hiei, could you sit down a minute?" she asked after a long stretch of silence. The youkai was slightly startled by the request, but saw no harm in doing as she asked. He took a seat beside her on the step, being sure to keep his distance. There was a pause.

"You know something about me that no one else knows. Not even me," she said softly. So this was the reason for her request. Questions. Hiei shifted uncomfortably.

"What are you getting at?" he snapped almost nervously.

"I just want to know what happened during those months," she said. He was silent. She sighed slightly and turned to look at him. He suddenly found the ground extremely interesting covered in dew as it was.

"Please, Hiei?" she asked, her voice pleading. "I just want the truth."

"And what makes you think that I'll tell you?" he asked, his voice scoffing. She leaned closer so that he could see the pleading in her dark eyes and face from the corner of his vision. He turned away, refusing to look her in the eye. Pain once again throbbed within him.

"Hiei-" she began again, her voice even softer, lacking its usual gravel and becoming more musical and feminine. So much like Thorn's voice. He tensed. He knew she saw it, because she immediately discontinued her attempt to pry information from him. He silently cursed himself and made to get up.

"Wait. It's okay, you don't have to tell me. But you can stay. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I didn't think anyone could," she said ruefully, her eyes returning to the blanket of white that enveloped them. He hesitated a moment before settling back onto the stair. It was uncomfortable, on that aspect she was utterly correct.

Thoughts bolted frantically through Hiei's mind. It made him uneasy. The thoughts were unsettling and almost painful, putting cracks in the walls of his dam that kept the pain of his memories of Thorn at bay.

"I'd better go," she said at last. "Genkai will be wanting to begin soon." She stood up, dusting off the front of her black pants unconsciously. She stopped and looked down at him.

"I know that you still feel pain for something that I have done. When you want, I am ready to listen to your story of what happened," she said. He glanced at her, unable to help his eyes from straying away from the ground. The sun had begun to lighten the sky to the east, tedious rays brushing over the ghostly mist and moisture-laden grass, giving the fog a blanketed look, hiding diamonds beneath its folds. Her eyes were not cold, and nor were they hard, they were large and full of questioning, dark and bright at the same time. But the questions were held in place by a self-contained demeanor. She looked up and took a deep breath, as though to ready herself for her exercises. She walked up the three remaining steps, walking along the wooden porch.

"Today will be very exciting," she said to herself. 'Then, tonight, I get to go home. I'll miss this place, but damn, I love Fridays!'

Well, one thing was for certain, it would come to be a very exciting day...

………………………………...

AUTHORESS' NOTE: alrighty then! More frequent updates now. Although I haven't gotten my ass in gear with the prequel, and I don't think I will really. I'm in two chapters and that's like it. But soon, yes dearies, SOON, the real stuff begins!

**__**

Reviews:

**Damage145**: for the details I've pretty much memorized them . I own both movies, which I've watched to death, so I have lots of details engraved in my mind.

Reallydizzy: omgosh that's cool! I've finished all, but I think I need to watch the movies. I'm still confused about how Harry's mother's blood and living in his aunts house helps him, so its like, erm! But I'm sure it'll get cleared up in the next book. Thanks!

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**: hello! This chapter's pretty slow too, but next chapter is REAL stuff. Well, at least badly needed extensions in the plot. Lol, the part about Kuwabara is a fav of mine too. We should start the Sadistic Bitch Society:P make men our slaves so we can beat them with…. Erm… hippos! Yes -evil grin-. Sorry to hear about yer SAT sad story! I haven't gotten my results yet, and I'm very impatient for them, although I already know I'm going to take it again in the fall, unless I get like a 2200 -never happening-. Lol. Hope yer grades are okay on it!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of context. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!


	16. Betrayal?

Warnings: misunderstandings or flat out betrayal, you decide!

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Sixteen: Betrayal?

"No! Do it again!" Genkai barked. Rose gritted her teeth and repeated the difficult exercise.

"You're not focused! Tell me, what the hell is in your head that's so damn interesting?" the master growled. The girl narrowed her eyes and continued, forcing the uneasy feeling that ran through her blood away, trying to concentrate on the advanced maneuver. She had advanced quickly, and so Genkai had put increasingly more stress on her slowly strengthening muscles.

Rose could hear Kuwabara in the other part of the temple, his voice loud and irritating. He and Yusuke must have had the day off from school. Or skipped. The latter seemed a more likely answer.

"Here Yukina! Let me take those!" Kuwabara said, giving the Ice Apparition a goofy smile.

"Oh, thank you Kazuma," Yukina said with a shy smile, handing the tall boy a pile of folded clothes, who put them in a laundry basket as she began to fold more. He grinned stupidly and blushed as he picked up a towel and began to fold as well.

Yusuke shook his head, rolling his eyes at the carrot-top's actions, before flipping through more channels on Genkai's large screen television. Kurama sat on another couch which lay to the Yusuke's right, lost in a trance of deep thought. On his left, between Yusuke and his own couch, was Hiei, sitting in an armchair, his katana leaning against his shoulder, also in his far-away place of thought, although glancing up and behind him when Kuwabara spoke to his half-sister. The room was quiet but for the loud advertisements on the TV and the gentle, muffled 'poff' of towels and clothing landing atop other textiles.

Kurama looked up, his eyes losing their thoughtful sheen as they strayed to the door. Hiei too looked, followed by Yusuke, who lookedbored toward their sudden admiration of the door.

Suddenly, Botan burst into the room, her coral eyes wide in wild fear. Her breath was quick and ragged as she gasped in the doorway. She glanced frantically around the room at the five pair of questioning and worried eyes.

"They're here!" she gasped. Yusuke stood up.

"Who's here?" Kurama asked calmly, standing as well.

"The Wave Master!"

Images of the green-haired demon on the lone pinnacle of rock flashed through Kurama's mind. He glanced at Hiei, who caught his gaze and gave a small nod of knowing. The cloaked figure had laughed at the destruction they had caused, their chuckle rumbling over the foaming waters below them. They had told Koenma that nothing could stop them. They probably were here to assure that.

"Why are they here?" Yukina asked, fear glistening in her eyes. But the ferry had disappeared, running around the side of the temple to inform Genkai.

"Don't worry Yukina! You stay here and I, Kazuma Kuwabara, shall protect you!" Kuwabara stated almost nobly; if he hadn't been blushing so furiously with a comical pull to his lips. She gave a small smile and the crimson blanket spread further across his cheeks.

"Let's go, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled as the other three boys bolted out the door. The tall boy quickly followed.

"What's going on?" Genkai demanded, striding toward them from around the corner of the temple. Rose followed behind her at a respective distance, glancing around in one could almost call shiftiness.

"The Wave Master is making their way here!" Botan explained, beginning to regain her breath from her run. "They used whatever portal they keep bragging about and escaped into the human world."

"The Wave Master?" Rose questioned quietly. She had removed the tie that bound her hair, letting the limp locks fall around her shoulders before replacing the band. Botan shrugged.

"That's just what we heard they were called," the Grim Reaper said.

"And your ears did not prove you wrong," came a smiling voice. It was high, like the chiming of small bells, a sound that was destined to aggravate the nerves of the people who were forced to listen to it. The large group turned to see a tall woman, nearly five twelve, standing atop a high pine tree. A small breeze ruffled her restrained, dark green tresses. Her cloak sighed lazily around her form, under which one could barely make out as brawny, yet sleek with muscle. Her face was dark, tanned a fawny hue by long hours spent in the sun. Her eyes were a piercing black and shallow, devoid of the expression that normally occupied eyes.

"Ahhhh! Thorn! So nice to see you again!" the demoness nearly squealed. Kurama and Hiei moved in front of Rose defensively. Rose said nothing to the greeting aimed at her. "I told you I'd get stronger! Now I'm strong enough to take over the worlds, just as we planned with the Black Blaze!" she said exuberantly. There was a hearty line of gasps of shock from around the group. "You know, you shouldn't hide so high up in the mountains. It took me a long time to trace you. You look surprised. You didn't think I would get strong enough in just a year!" She giggled. "But you've kept yourself busy! I know that you've been here for a while, 'against your will'. So I take it you've discovered the weakness' of the Reikai Tentai by now."

The boys, Botan, and Genkai looked at the girl. Her face was hard and expressionless. Her eyes were brighter. Hiei's eyes widened as the pain impaled him full in the stomach, harder than any punch and shaper than any knife. A slight wind ruffled her hair, bringing two locks from behind her ears and suddenly, she looked so much like Thorn, he could swear that the Wave Master was telling the truth. Was it true, was Thorn really before them, deceiving them so easily? Rose was an actor, and a good one at that, but... No. There was no way…. Was there? Thorn would not betray him like this. Would she?

………………..

Authoress' Notes: I know it's a short chapter, but I'm posting the next one ASAP! Promise. Don't worry, I haven't abandon this, and I plan on finishing it! However, I don't really know about the prequel to the series yet. I have about three/four chapters done on it, but nothing more than that. Blah! Anyway, thank you all for keeping with me!

**__**

Reviews:

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

Well, the reason Rose calmed down was because it was more like home to her, out in the woods and with something to do. Its just infused in her character to do something and the activity and stress Genkai is giving her helps a lot. Lol, the curiosity _has_ gotten the best of her too, though. Now that she's thinking rationally instead of 'escape escape escape!' She's got intuition toward Hiei, I think, but little more. I've kept Yusuke and Kwabara in the dark I really need to get them more involved. I mean, Yusuke's the main character of the series, but I think at least Yusuke suspects something. Lol, I dunno, I think I just like Yusuke better in his 'huh?' state instead of his 'I really do know everything, I just pretend to be a cocky little bastard.' and I went through the chapter last time, and I think its my fault. I'll fix it when I get the time, but thank you for pointing it out . Thank you!

HieiFan666:

Lol. New reviewer! Wonderful! Thank you very much for your encouraging comment. I dunno about Poe, his work is BEAUTIFUL. We're getting down to the nitty-gritty soon too, so we'll learn more about Rose, Thorn and BlackFire's relationship. thanks again!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of context. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!


	17. A Mess of Things

Warnings: ' soo complicated

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Seventeen: A Mess of Things

"Come on, Thorn! Where's your spirit?" the Wave Master asked with a smile. Rose set her jaw and pushed through the stunned wall Kurama and Hiei had set before her, which had fallen into weak rubble at the demoness' last comment from utter shock.

"Ro-" the girl cut the kitsune off with a glare. She looked back at the invader.

"What is your name?" the American asked. Her voice was hard, demanding. Thorn's voice.

"It's Midori-Nami, Thorn," the woman said, confused. "Don't you remember me?"

"I have lost many memories, Midori-Nami," Rose replied. Midori-Nami straightened, her smile shifting.

"Who are you?" the demoness asked, her irritating voice suddenly cold.

"By you, I am Thorn. But feel free to enlighten me as to who I am," Rose said with an almost mocking tone.

"You are the Dragon of Destruction! The one who, with the help of the Black Blaze and myself, would rule all the worlds!" she paused for effect, thinking a moment. "You're not Thorn are you?"

"I am only what I am," the girl replied. Midori-Nami's face darkened in anger.

"You've lost the power, haven't you? You asked for my help to render the Black Blaze helpless to you at one time, before you excepted his power, and now I can see that you succeeded."

"Success is a hallow word," Rose said.

"Where is the Black Blaze! He'll talk some sense into you!"

"You said he was dead."

"Is he!" Exasperation seemed to overcome the demoness as she stared down at the unusually calm girl.

"I cannot tell you that. I have no memories."

"Damn!" Midori-Nami cursed. "Fine then! I can tell you've abandoned the idea of taking over the worlds, so I'll go about it myself! Even without it you it will be an easy task. If you don't want to join me, then stay out of my way. I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me," she snarled, looking around the courtyard at the people who dwelled within it. "But, if you want to try, then you're welcome to. I enslave the worlds in a month, so take the time to plan on giving me a slight challenge." She turned back to Rose, glaring with her hauntingly devoid black eyes. "And to think I was looking forward to working with you again Thorn," she scoffed.

"I work with no one," Rose replied. Midori-Nami huffed, seemingly at a loss for words. Her face was dark in vexation.

"I'll be back, girl. Don't think that your betrayal will go unpunished. Once I rule the worlds, there will be no place you can hide," she spat. And with an infuriated snort, the wind suddenly turned from tranquil to violent, swirling dirt and dust around her figure. The Reikai Tentai raised their arms to ward away the dust, clenching their teeth against the force. When the dust cleared and the wind settled, Midori-Nami was nowhere to be seen.

They stood frozen for a moment, no one moving. Electric shock changed to anger and Yusuke stormed toward Rose's still form, which had not moved from its position, looking up at the empty tree with her arms at her sides.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" he yelled, his hands grasping her shoulders and shaking her, his face contorted in fury. She stood in a daze, not registering the boy in front of her, or his words. "TELL ME!" he bellowed.

"Yusuke, screaming wont get us anywhere," Kurama said. The black haired boy ground his teeth, glaring at the girl, then turned on his heel, storming away.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Kuwabara asked stupidly. Genkai snorted.

"I must go tell Koenma," Botan said, snapping out of her shock and forming her oar, hopping on it before flying off, assured that the group would be able to take care of Rose themselves.

"Please explain," Kurama said to Rose, his voice deep with unsaid command aimed toward her. He had taken Yusuke's place in front of her. Her dark eyes were glassy, failing to register his question and his position before her. She looked like a soulless body, deflated of life. "Rose!" he called, stooping over to come even with her eyes. Genkai walked up and he let her take the place before the girl.

"Snap out of it!" the master barked, her hand lashing out to slap the girl across the face. There was no yelp of pain, although no one expected one. Her face followed through the hit, twisting her neck and forcing her eyes to her right. Her blank eyes fell upon Hiei. His red eyes beat into her green ones, the line between them filled with sudden heat. Her eyes lit suddenly and she took a sharp breath, as if coming back from the abyss of unconsciousness. Hiei saw the glitter within them and held his breath. By now, if she had not appeared, what would make her, besides the password? Thorn would not return without it. But the light had reinspired the hope. The glitter was so much like hers. Like Thorn's. Perhaps she, this Midori-Nami, had held the password? When she had been ready to take over the worlds, she was to awaken her? But the shine was gone an instant later, replaced by hardness and determination.

"Take me to Koenma," she said, turning her head to look at Kurama over Genkai's shoulders, her eyes returning to the glare she had greeted him and Hiei the day they had appeared at her door, as if she had never met him. Two weeks. Wasted.

………………………………

Authoress' Note: alright! All set and done! This chapter was short to, but updates are coming now! No more finals to study for! I was surprised, I just finished editing this chapter and I get a review! Wewt! Next chapter is HUGE. Promise

**__**

Reviews:

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

here's yer answer. Lol, personally, I don't think there are enough females in YYH, especially fighters. I'm such a feminist its not funny, so I thought it'd be nice that, for once, they had a female that could kick everyone's butts. The only real female 'fighter' is Genkai and… agg.. What's that chicks name? Mukoru. Yeah. Her. Anyway. About the Yusuke suspecting something, that was kinda answered when he freaked out above. I don't think he really trusts/did trust her at all. Ahh, I can't believe I missed that about Yukina when I was editing. You can tell I prewrote this a looooooong time ago :P. uber-long chapter next time! thanks again!

**__**

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of context. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!


	18. Homeward Bound

****

Warnings: nothing serious.

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Eighteen: Homeward Bound

The trio, consisting of Rose, Kurama, and Hiei, stepped into Koenma's office without knocking. The prince looked up, straining to see them around the stacks of documents on his desk and scattered around his office.

"Rose, please, let me expl-" the toddler began when he realized who had entered. He had been preparing an explanation and apology since the time Botan had told him what had happened. He was sorry he had put her in such a defenseless position. The detectives would have protected her, but it must have been terrifying to be approached by a strange and powerful demon. However, she cut him off hardly before he even began.

"Take me back," she growled, slamming her hands down on his desk, causing an avalanche of papers to spill onto the floor.

"W-what?" he managed to stutter. There was something in her eyes that frightened him terribly.

"Open a portal and return me to my home. I have complied with the terms to our deal. Two weeks. I was promised when I excepted his deal that you would return me if you found no power by then." She paused. "You have found nothing," she stated.

"Two weeks was hardly enough time," Hiei said quietly. She paused and jerked her head toward him. She glared at him with such intensity that he took a quick breath. An image flashed through his mind so clear, he could have witnessed it not seconds before. It further cracked the dam of his emotions, making the pain seep through his blood like fear.

/Flashback/

__

She stared blankly at the picture he had examined, her bright eyes gaining, once again, that stare that looked as if it went right through the thing that it viewed. Lightening brightened her face as she sat on the wooden arm of the futon, her arms holding onto the sides of the wood, her legs crossed. It glittered in the endless canons of her almost demonic green eyes. Hiei stared over his cup at the girl. There was an evil glint in their depths, a light, yet a shadowed darkness as well that the bolt of electricity revealed to the youkai. The flash ended, and Thorn's eyes returned to their normal brightness that, even in the dark, was vibrant.

Hiei sipped from the cup of steaming coffee. Thorn plopped down on the cushion of the futon, using the armrest and the back of the futon corner as a wall, resting her back against them, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around the leather pants, resting her chin on her knees. She looked out the door's large window, watching the flickering of lightening light up the dreary sky, and listening to the rumbles of thunder. Hiei watched, but the light did not reflect the look in her eyes again. The look of a... a hitokiri. A man-slayer?

/End Flashback/

Hiei blinked and realized she had lost the glint.  
"Back off, Hiei," she growled darkly. She turned back to Koenma. "You've put me through enough trouble. Return me!" The prince glanced at Kurama, who sighed in defeat, and Hiei, who had quickly replaced his mask of impassiveness. He sighed, making his shoulders slump and his binky droop. His brown eyes were downcast, pained. He finally nodded.

"Alright. Kurama and Hiei will escort you back to America after you return to Genkai's temple to pick up your things," he said, his voice deep and sad. "I am sorry we bothered you," he added quietly. She nodded and straightened from her lean over the desk, giving a noise of agreement.

"Good," she said, turning and walking away. The prince stared at the papers on his tousled desk with a blank look of a lost and helpless child. Kurama and Hiei left him to his own devices and followed the girl as she walked out.

"You're making a mistake," Kurama said, hoping to change her mind with an argument as they entered the hall.

"Shut-up and take me home," she snapped. He fell silent.

The three stood at the portal near Rose's house. It was dark in the given time zone, so they stood a moment to let their eyes adjust to the night. Moonlight flittered down faintly from the east, slung low due to the early hour of the night, its weak crescent like a sour smile. Rose straightened her shoulders and took a couple of bold steps forward. She looked back over her shoulder and stopped when she saw the other two were merely watching her go.

"Are you coming?" she asked impatiently.

"We must return to the Spirit World," Kurama said, shaking his head. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I know that, but can't you just wait until tomorrow night so I can get my stuff first? I might as well take my tests too." She sighed again. "Besides, you're my only ride back; unless I die, and I take it that its not a pleasant experience." The two looked at her, bewildered.

"But I though you wanted to stay," Kurama said.

"Oi, all I said was that I wanted to go home, I never said I wouldn't come back," she said, turning to face them fully, repositioning her duffle bag in aggravation. The two demons looked at each other.

"Why?" Hiei asked, turning back toward her. His voicec was laced with skepticism.

"Because Foxy's little plan worked," she said in an almost nasty tone. They gave her quizzical looks. She sighed yet again. "I have very good hearing. When Kurama explained his little plan to Botan and Yusuke I overheard it. I might not have the power, like I keep telling you, but I've discovered that the history I made myself was an interesting one and, since it seems I was closely associated with you, I have to stay to try to recover my memories. So your little blackmail plan worked, Fox. Although I still know that you were my enemies, and that wont change, so don't think I'll forget that." She grumbled a bit. Stupid plots and damn demons.

She looked around and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of early June. Hiei and Kurama nodded to each other in silent agreement.

"Alright, you are free to come back with us," Kurama said. "But I warn you, it could get dangerous, and we wont put you in intentional danger."

"And I warn you that I'm coming of my own free will. I'm not your prisoner anymore," she said, her tone commanding. She left no room for them to argue, not that they would have. "I am responsible for myself from now on, I don't need to be guarded or anything like that." The boys nodded in agreement.

"Alright! Let's go," she said, turning and shifting her duffle bag over one shoulder again. Kurama closed the portal and they followed. It didn't take them long to arrive at the girl's house. She went around to the back of her home and, using a key from her backpack, unlocked the door that led into her room, after giving her dog a pat on the head to silence its weary growls. With a sigh she dropped her bags on the floor next to her desk, rolling her shoulders.

"Take a seat. We can leave in about twenty hours," she said.

………………………..

Rose arrived back home her tests at four. She looked irritable. Kurama and Hiei didn't speak to her.

The night had passed without mishap, although the girl, the could tell, hardly slept. She woke early, before the sun rose. She leafed through books, removing a few notebooks from her bookshelf and studied until seven in the morning, and then she ate and left to take her tests.

"Well _that _was a waste of time. Those were about the easiest State Tests I've even taken," she growled. She sat at her desk, setting down her book and replacing her notes countless hours after the tests. She paused a moment. They could hear her mother cheerfully clipping coupons upstairs. The woman had hardly reacted to seeing her daughter. And again, Hiei received the impression the woman had been brainwashed. Rose walked out of the room and climbed the stairs. She gave them a glare that suggested they follow. They did.

"Hey, Ma," the girl said, the greeting's tone blank. She went to the fridge, grabbing an apple from a shelf and offering ones to Kurama and Hiei. They declined silently. Rose shrugged, closing the door and taking a bite. The boys stood uncertainly, giving her a quizzical look. Surely she hadn't brought them up here to offer them food? After all, she had made them breakfast while her mother was out shopping. There was a cupboard under her futon that Hiei remembered from his last encounter in the house that she told them to eat lunch from. It was stocked heavily with munchies, both healthy and not so much so, for them to eat. They had waited for her return all day, leaving only once to tell Koenma about her change of plans. Needless to say, the prince was ecstatic.

Rose took a seat opposite the woman at the table, biting into the fruit, which was rapidly disappearing, then chewed lazily. Hiei shifted from one foot to the other.

"Hey Ma, did I ever tell you about a password?"

The words were spoken lazily, Rose's eyes studying the intricate swirl of red and orange and gold on the yet to be eaten skin of the fruit. She took a large bite and began to chew again.

Hiei realized why she had led himself and Kurama upstairs, straightening from his slightly impatient slouch immediately. They might pick up something she did not. She had realized their turmoil, and had made the decision to help, even at the cost of her 'sanity'.

She was willing to give up her freedom?

Rose knew that when she began training she didn't belong with them. _She,_ Thorn, belonged there, not her, the weaker half, no matter how much the girl wanted to be here. It wasn't her place. If she wanted to help them, she'd have to stop being so selfish. She needed to find the password they were talking about in whispers behind her back. If her mother didn't know anything, then she would have to ask Jazz. But one should start small first.

She sighed a bit mentally, her life just kept getting worse. But, one can suppose, the world needed protecting and she was the one to help do it. She almost rolled her eyes. She sounded like a super-hero freak. How corny. But, if her other self could help them, well, one less insane person in the world could only help, right? Well, that is assuming that Thorn wasn't insane.

"A password, dear?" the woman asked, pausing in her snipping and giving her daughter a confused look. Hiei probed into her mind, but found only confusion and blankness. He looked harder, searching into the room of memories. But the slates surrounding the woman's daughter were smudged, clearly erased at one time and painfully rewritten. It was not totally clean, but skillfully done. He doubted he, even with the Jagan Eye and its psychic powers at his disposal, could use the power so well.

"I understand. Thanks. I'm going on a trip with my..." Rose paused a moment, glancing at them. "Friends... tonight. I'll be gone for a while." The older woman nodded, turning back to the papers.

"Yes, sure dear. Have fun. I'll see you in a few months," Rose's mother said carelessly. Hiei retreated his powers. Again it seemed as if her mother cared little that she left, as if it happened every day. Then again, it had been a life saver for the Detectives when they had taken her prisoner.

Rose nodded and stood, looking pointingly at Hiei. He ignored her gaze as they walked back downstairs.

"Anything?" Rose asked when they had reentered her room and shut the door. Hiei shook his head.

"She knows nothing about the password," the youkai said, biting back the words _or you_ forcibly.

"How did you know about the password?" Kurama asked. She sat down on her desk chair and they took a seat on the futon.

"I heard Hiei outside of your room when I had my fit," she explained loftily.

"Hm, I see. But you said before you left that the holder of the password would not know they had it," the kitsune said.

"Well it won't hurt to ask around," she said, shrugging.

"Any other ideas?" Hiei asked almost curiously. She looked at him, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She studied him for a second, resting her chin on her hands, which lay on the back of her chair as she straddled it in thought. He felt the question in her eyes as she watched him. She seemed to be contemplating some elusive thought.

"A few," she said carefully. Her voice was strangely cautious. "But I might find a lead tonight." She stood up and sighed, glancing toward the window. It was already growing dark. She turned and went to her desk, picking up a small cell phone. Strange that she didn't carry it with her to school. She quickly dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, listening. Kurama listened as well. She didn't even bother to tell him not to. His ears were sharper than her own and he would not be able to ignore it.

Someone picked up on the other line. They said nothing.

"One hour, the alley by the warehouse," Rose said. There was a pause and they hung up. She did as well. She turned to the questioning eyes of the boys. She didn't explain and they did not ask. They would find out soon enough.

She put the phone back on her desk and turned around, walking around the room to accumulate clothing. She opened up her closet and rifled through the modest selection. She paused before removing a couple of outfits and put them in her green duffle bag. She packed her things quickly as the two watched. It was half an hour later when she made her way to her door.

"Time to go," she said. The two didn't look at each other, but both boys could feel the burning question each wanted to speak. Where?

………………………………...

See the chapter when Kurama explains to Botan about his plan to 'blackmail' Rose.

A/N: alright! Update time! Thank you all who reviewed! Yer awesome!

**__**

Reviews:

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**

I agree with you all the way! Anyway, Yusuke's personality just screams 'Don't trust those who have betrayed you'. so that's just the way he is I guess. -shrug-. Here's the next chapter! Thank you!

**__**

The Password:

See former chapters!


	19. Jazz

Warnings: nothing serious.

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Nineteen: Jazz

The trio walked down a dark and dismal street. Rose walked ahead of the two youkai, their eyes keen and alert, even in the faint moonlight. There were no streetlights to light their way, but what was that to demonic eyesight? Very little. Rose seemed to know her way by heart and didn't need streetlights to show her the way.

They approached an old, abandon warehouse. The moon retreated behind a misty cloud, deepening shadows to yawning black pools of abyss. Boards had fallen in around it, giving it a look of being withered and in ill health. It sagged in a depressed frown. In its youth it have been a proud building painted a greenish hue, but the sands of time had worn away all the finish, revealing insect-infested wood.

"Stay out here." Rose stopped, turning to glare a warning at them.

The two nodded, moving to lean against the frail building, facing the road. Rose turned and walked down the dank and dirty alley that ran along the side of the building. Mice skittered out from in front of her, hiding under old, rotting planking. She stopped halfway down the long building.

"Jazz," she grunted, more of a statement than the questioning greeting one would think it was supposed to be.

"I'm here," came a soft voice, muffled by the thin planking between them. The person was clearly inside the building, not that it mattered. So many boards were missing or decayed that there was very little separating them.

"Do you have any information on the password that unlocks my other personality?" Rose asked, her voice business-like.

"I do not." There was a pause as Rose began to collect her thoughts for another question.

"You have brought others."

"I have," Rose replied evenly, warily.

"I do not know who holds the passwords you speak of," the femine voice said, switching abruptly back to the subject at hand, as though sensing Rose's caution. There was silence as Rose continued to collect her thoughts. A mouse scuttled across the dark alley with a quiet-searing 'eep'.

"I want to know about Midori-Nami the Wave Master. Have I already acquired this information?" the girl asked.

"You have," Jazz said. Her voice was curious, but gave no other hint as to her personality.

"Which one?"

"Black twenty-seven," was the reply. Again there was silence.

"And my guests?"

"General or specific?"

"Both." The hidden demoness seemed to think a moment.

"Large, green, four," came the mysterious voice. Rose nodded to herself.

"Good."

"Is that all?" the voice asked quizzically, without spite or inpatients, its tone placid.

"It is. Contact me if you find anything else about either," Rose said. There was an invisible nod and a 'hmm' of understanding. Rose turned and walked from the alley, her boots making just the faintest of pats on the cement. Hiei and Kurama looked up expectantly.

"Let's get out of here," she said gruffly, walking past them. They followed her back to her home without speaking. Kruama remained in a cloud of thoughtful silence all the way there. He received a glance from Hiei and returned it. Yes, he had heard every word. But it had been in some kind of code, and he didn't understand it. Her guests? She must have been referring to them, of course. That demon, she was only lower class. Just a minor league. But apparently a good spy, or Thorn would not have chosen her to carry such a burden.

When they returned to the girl's house, they entered through the back door. She stood just past the doorway, looking around her room almost critically. The two demons stood behind her as she sighed and strutted forward.

She walked into the furthest corner of the room, which was hidden from the boy's view by a half-wall and the plastic beads. Kurama and Hiei stepped into the room, closing the door behind them as they curiously viewed her antics.

She returned to their vision as she stopped in front of her bookcase, which lay just within their view, imbedded in the wall. In her left hand she held a tall staff that came just above her head. Its handle was made of smooth-sanded wood that looked to be red cherry, but shone with a sheen that was not natural. Its head was made of some golden metal alloy shaped into a scythe-like crescent with a four-pointed star connecting the crescent, which one could call a gibbous moon, joining its tips, its edges protruding like a dagger, sharpened and ready to gouge anything its owner bid it to.

The girl studied the case in front of her before removing two notebooks. One was a normal, black, one-subject while the other was a thick three subject notebook. The larger one was green. She turned and placed both of them in her bag, setting the staff beside it. Her mouth was set in a grim line and her eyes were unreadable.

She turned around and seemed to hesitate. After a second or two she straightened her shoulders and strode forward, pushing the beads aside carelessly, stopping in front of the intricate painting on her wall. She stared at it a moment, examining its regal pose, and the fire that raged in its icy eyes.

An image flashed before Hiei's eyes and the room lit up with a bolt of lightening.

/Flashback/

Hiei stood up and walked to the other side of the room. He stood a moment before the wall of plastic, contemplating entering. After a hesitating second, he lifted a hand, pushing away the curtain and stepping into the dark room. He turned to his left, facing the bright stencil on the wall. Lightening ripped through the dark house, giving the bright, ice-tinged, chasms life, and shadowing the silver scales and giving the silver claws a threatening gleam, like the points of knives as their tips. From its mighty jaws thundered an enraged roar, its breath hot with fire that never breached its lips nor heated its glinting fangs. It looked down on him menacingly, its shape seemed to dance in the fluttering of light, its tail a deadly whip that lashed at the air with anger behind muscled haunches. Hiei's eyes widened and his jaw dropped just slightly. He could have sworn life had come to the painting. He stepped forward, putting his hand on the creature. It was...warm. True, it was becoming slightly warm in the room since the storm had began, but-...no. Such thoughts were foolish. Hiei shook his head and took back his hand. It was a painting once again, the life gone from its proud eyes that looked down upon him. Its serpentine body was unmoving, forever frozen in its roil pose on the sky-shaded background. Hiei backed away, giving the dragon another long glance before turning away and resuming his position on the futon.

/End Flashback/

Hiei blinked. The room was again bathed in the light of the dusky moon. He was back in the present.

Rose sighed and closed her eyes, lifting her hand and running it over the painting, starting from the threatening jaws and making their way over it's breast and abdomen. Memories jolted Hiei's mind once again.

/Flashback/

She was facing the painting. But somehow it looked different. The sun could not cast that reddish glow. What was it? Hiei strained his eyes harder to see into the darkness and Thorn approached it. The dragon, its claws were...red. Like they had been freshly painted. But the way the girl was acting, she hadn't done it. She looked up at it from not two feet away. Hiei stood up and walked over as well, standing next to her without a sound. His eyes widened and he took a quick breath. It was not paint that stained the claws of the creature. It was blood. Fresh blood. It dripped down the wall slowly, reluctant to leave the silver. Thorn's hand reached up, but, it seemed, she could not touch what she wished to. Slowly, her arm rose higher, as did her head, until she was a good three inches taller than the youkai that stood beside her. Hiei was amazed, shocked really, but refrained from saying anything. The girl seemed to be in a very pissed-off daze. Her fingers brushed against the creature's jaws, which hung open in a frozen scream of anguish. She retreated them and her height returned to its normal standard. She brought her fingers in front of her, rubbing them together thoughtfully. Blood stuck to their tips.

/End Flashback/

Thorn had stared at the bright, sticky substance on her fingers, her bright green eyes questioning. The Black Blaze had killed Rose's closest companion, her horse, thus angering both Rose and Thorn, the latter of which later took her rage out on Kuwabara.

Back in the present, Rose seemed to find what she had been searching for. She opened her eyes and looked to where her hands lay, together on the wall, right next to the newly-added pendent that encased the serpent's neck, covering its left breast. Using both hands, she dug her fingernails into the wall, seemingly trying to claw a hole in the structure. Suddenly, a small portion of the wall fell away in a neat little scale-shaped piece. She hesitated a moment before plunging her hand into the inky shadows. Kurama and Hiei heard the silky sound of chain sliding over chain and immediately knew what was stored in the hiding place. Their suspicions were confirmed when Rose pulled a black necklace from the wall's bowels. The medallion was black and circular, the image portrayed on the wall carved from black iron in painstaking detail. The eyes of the medallion were blank, pearly white chips of void, not holding the bright, sapphire hue that it once had.

Rose studied the pendent, shifting it in the wane light. She shook off her thoughts and placed it in her pocket.

She slung the duffle bag over her shoulder and picked up the staff.

"Let's not waste anymore time," she said quietly.

………………………………...

A/N: its been a horribly long time! Sorry! I started a new fan fiction -whimper- so I got distracted! its all Sasuke and Naruto's fault!Sorry!

**__**

Reviews:

Miyako14: its nice to see you back! And no, I haven't seen the hole series, only up to episode 104 or something like that. Its horrible that they had to end it. Apparently there was an argument over which way the series should go, so it just ended. Its soo sad. thank you so much!

Ensatsu-Kokoryo-Ha:

-nod- that's true about Yusuke, he learns about people through his fists rather than his brain :P but we still love him. Lol, here's Jazz. Rose and Thorn's past may be coming up in the future, don't worry! Here you go! Thank you!

**__**

The Password:

See former chapters!


	20. Decipher

Warnings: nothing

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Twenty: Decipher

There was a slap as paper hit wood, resounding through the room in a startling 'thwack'. Kuwabara jumped, surprised, and looked up from the meditation he had sunk into to see Rose towering over the couch he was sitting on. She had returned nearly a week before, but he still hadn't gotten used to her ability to sneak up on him, or, in fact, his _in_ability to sense her spirit energy. Actually, none of them had. Yusuke smiled knowingly at his unusual reaction toward the girl now standing beside a low table, upon which the papers had been dropped.

"Here. This is everything I know about Midori-Nami," Rose said, looking down at him with indifference. "It might help." The two boys glanced at each other, then back to her in question. The girl had holed herself up in the room Genkai had given her, muttering something about deciphering a code when asked about it.

"Ahh, thanks?" Yusuke said helpfully. Her dark eyes turned to him, and he felt as though he saw them softer than before, with a bitter edge beneath that.

"Give it to Hiei and Kurama when you're done," she said over her shoulder as she turned away, walking back the way she had come. The two boys watched her slink into the room down the hall.

'I might not be able to help them physically, but I can't just stand around and wait,' the girl thought. The words in the notebooks were encoded and difficult to decipher, but she had spent the last four days steady rewriting the notes in first English, then translating into Japanese. Needless to say, it had been difficult, even with the Translation Charm Koenma had given her.

She went back to her room to get dressed for her lessons with Genkai. She rifled through her bag distractedly. She had yet to finish the word-swollen green notebook, which held information on the people she had surrounded herself with. It gave only their strengths and weakness', but was helpful concerning what she could trust them with, as well as a brief summery as to their pasts. She had also come to realize why she had become allies with the group, in order to repay Koenma for returning her to life and as payment for her sword, just as the prince had said. The others had turned on her only because of his orders. Essentially, they did not intend to betray her. The notes explained their pasts impassively, without emotional involvement, but in such vivid detail she would have had to know them well, unless she had acquired the information by other means other than interrogation and observation. Although, she noticed, Hiei's lineage was hazy and intrigued her to no end.

She removed a black outfit from her bag. It was very similar to a karate outfit, although altered to her liking by her recently deceased uncle. On the left breast was the master's crest, a black symbol outlined in light blue on a white background. The black pants were loose and comfortable, made in the same style as the top, and fit perfectly to her shape. The top was as black as ebony to match. On it's back, although covered with her thick hair, was the same crest that was fastened to the front, but much larger.

Rose tightened the matching black belt, which she had received at her insistence that it be black, although she was not at such an advanced stage of training. She replaced her boots on her feet after exiting the temple and walked out into the courtyard and to the room in which Genkai waited in, separate from the main house.

"You're late," Genkai growled when she entered. Rose said nothing. She really wasn't one for excuses, so she just nodded. She had promised herself that she would get stronger no matter what the cost, and help the Spirit Detectives with their task. Nothing, not pain, not the looming figure of death, would stop her.

…………………….………...

* * *

A/N: Gomen! Its been a month! This chapter is short and its not really very important. If I get motivated I'll get the next chapter out Sundayish. But I've got _tons_ of bloody homework to do -scowl-. Anyway, thank you so much!**__**

Reviews:

Miyako14: lol! I _still_ haven't finished YYH yet, but I can't help it if Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun keep distracting me:P sorry! Here's yer update, sorry it took so long! Gomen!

lol! I haven't finished YYH yet, but I can't help it if Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun keep distracting me:P sorry! Here's yer update, sorry it took so long! Gomen!

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: lol. Yes, Naruto rocks! Now they have it on Cartoon Network -hates the voice they use for Naruto scowl-. Yes, the Japanese versions righteously kick serious ass! And I don't know what's going to happen to Jazz. She's not really a character I expand upon, but maybe I'll stick her in here again. And about Bleach, when I got yer review Bleach was an anime I was currently obsessing over as I came up to date on the Naruto dubs. So yeah, I've watched up to ep. 16 or something like that. Fruits basket too, although FB is better as a manga than an anime, I think :P

THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH ME! 3333

**__**

The Password:

See former chapters!


	21. Flood

Warnings: nothing

__

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Twenty-One: Flood

"That's it, you're done for today," Genkai said. The older woman was standing in front of a panting and coughing girl dressed in black. Rose shook her head, causing the strands hair that had fallen from her braid to stick to her flushed cheeks.

"No, I want to keep going," the girl said, trying and barely succeeding to clamber to her feet. Her eyes were determined, but her body was on the verge of collapse. Sweat dripped down her face and her body trembled with exhaustion. Normally Genkai would find her valiant. But this... this was not normal.

"Don't be an idiot. To continue would do nothing but put yourself one step closer to death," the master barked.

"It would be no different that before," the American gasped.

"Shut-up. Now go," Genkai, looking down at her with narrowed eyes.

"No," Rose said. Genkai was surprised at her retort. The girl had never defied her before, instead respecting her judgment and following her commands.

"Go take a walk and cool off. We'll continue again tomorrow." And with that, the master left, leaving the quaking girl to fall to her knees, trying to cough away the burning in her abused lungs, only to make its fire intensify. She could hear the thundering of her pulse in her ears, deafening the rest of the world to her. Her arms and legs had long since lost feeling and it was a wonder her knees even held her weight. She fell forward, unconsciously making her arms support her as she gasped. Her hair fell around her face, her loosened braid trailing down her back in a disheveled and matted rope. She coughed again and tasted the metallic tint of blood in her mouth. She took shallow, rapid breaths and eventually the pounding of her head and chest subsided and the coughs lessened. She breathed slowly to keep the body-racking coughs at bay.

An agonizing thirty minutes later she had composed herself and decided to stand. Her first attempt made her head reel and made her realized just how far she had pushed herself. Instead of the usual scream of pain from her strained muscles, they were dead numb and refused her commands of movement. Her arms were much the same as her legs and it was only a miracle that she had been able to continue as long as she had.

Her second attempt was far more productive than the first and she managed to sit up, resting her arms and head on a knee while her other still rested on the floor. She paused before forcefully heaving herself to her feet. The room swayed and blurred before her eyes and she was forced to lean against a wall for support to wait for the room to discontinue its dancing.

"Maybe I _will_ go for a walk," she mumbled under her breath. She stumbled forward but had reformed her gait enough to walk back to her room to freshen up and change.

Rose walked outside the temple an hour later, wallowing in the early summer warmth. The trees expressed their wondrous, earthy scent, perfuming the air with their fragrance. A small breeze ruffled the leaves, lifting stray, unruly locks of hair from her shoulders, free to billow after the restriction of her tight braid and brushed free of knots. She walked into the cool shadows of the near-by forest, listening to the birds flit overhead and squirrels hop from tree to tree, their bushy tails flicking out behind them like cheerful farewells. She walked along a fairly well-beaten path, dry twigs snapping silently beneath her boots so that she walked with hardly a sound. Sunlight filtered down through stray patches in the tree canopy, illuminating the brown path with golden splotches and the green foliage bright emerald rashes.

Rose took a deep breath, ignoring the urge to cough at the slight burn that still dwelled within her lungs. It was peaceful here and she liked it. She walked along slowly, and not just because she was enjoying the scenery. Her legs were still weak, although feeling had slowly returned to them. They ached dully but she refused to let it effect her. Pain was a necessity if you wanted to get stronger. It told you your limits and just how much further you could go before death claimed her. But she had been foolish and ignored that pain, something one should never do. It wasn't until Genkai had left that she had realized just how much pain she had actually ignored.

A squeak ripped her thoughts from her mind like a harsh hand. She paused, but continued when it did not come again.

'Probably just a squirrel,' she thought, shrugging it off. She took in a good look of her surroundings, watching birds fly from perch to perch, feeding off insects or fruit and other small woodland creatures. A sound startled her, but nothing came to her ears. She stopped, knowing that she had indeed heard nothing, but the sound was there. She looked around again, but there was nothing. She scowled and walked on. The forest grew thick quickly, the smooth trunks of the trees standing at rapt attention. The night before had been full of wind and thin branches lay scattered about the forest floor.

A sudden bolt ran through her body, making her stop in mid-step at its ferocity. She glanced around quickly. Something told her that all was not well in this peaceful groove. There, again! What was it?

She registered a sound, this time with her ears. A cry of distress, pain, and fear. She unconsciously walked toward it, being careful to upset nothing as she approached. The trail was barely in view when she came across the old, dead tree. It had been uprooted disrespectfully and its thick roots stood in the air like forbidden stags, mournfully torn from their honored place of burial. The squeak came again, louder this time, but feeble. Without thought, Rose walked around the fallen tree. It wasn't large, no bigger around that she was, and taller by only a few feet. Again, the cry, desperate and pleading. It racked at her being like nothing she had ever known.

Through the screaming protests of her strained and abused arms and legs she knelt, then lifted the tree high and clear with ease and righted it back on its dead roots. At first, she saw nothing, but it didn't take long for the figure to make itself clear. The weasel-like creature stared at her with bright red eyes. Its coat was a light chocolate, dirt and mud soiling and dulling its richness. The creature did not struggle to move away as Rose looked at it, who was surprised that her search had proved fruitful.

"So you're the cute little creature that kept squeaking," she cooed as she stepped forward, removing one of her gloves from her jean pocket and putting it on. It wouldn't do if the creature had rabies.

She approached slowly, murmuring softly to the creature. It shifted uncomfortably, but did not flee. Baffled, the girl crouched beside it, offering her gloved hand.

"What a cute little ermine you are," she said. "Here now, let me help you." The ermine sniffed at her hand before turning away disdainfully. Confused, Rose looked it over. It lay on its said with its right hind leg twisted at a gruesome angle. She cringed at the sight before turning to look into the creature's eyes. They were blank and dull like its coat.

Setting her face into a determined lock, she removed her outer sweater, which was black and covered her green, 'supreme diva' tee. She reached out and quickly grabbed the ermine by the scruff of the neck, being careful not to jar its injured leg. It protested slightly, but stopped when she placed it in the comforting confines of her sweater and wrapped it tightly around the creature.

"Don't worry, Kurama's a healer, he'll fix you up," she whispered, running as quickly as she could back to the temple, ignoring the groans of tired muscles and the burning that was coming back to her chest.

Hiei fftted away from a near-by tree.

* * *

"Kurama!" The door of the temple opened, slamming unintentionally against the wall. The kitsune looked up lazily. He had been informed by a certain fire demon that she would be returning.

"Yes? What is it Rose?" he asked, turning from his position on the couch to face her, letting his paper drop to his lap. The bundle in her arms squirmed, burrowing deeper into the sweater's folds. She stepped forward calmly (trying to ignore the bitter burning in her chest and the creaking muscles in her legs), removing part of the sweater to reveal the ermine's injured leg. Kurama stood and examined it carefully.

"Is it bad?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Only if it's left untended," the kitsune said. They were silent. Kuwabara and Yukina were off doing chores in another part of the temple, so the area was deprived of the carrot-tops obnoxious voice. Yusuke walked into the room quietly, yawning after one of his periodic naps. Hiei was in his usual cloud of separation on the other side of the room.

"So you can heal him?" she asked after the moment had passed.

"You heal him," Kurama said.

"That's not funny, Fox," she growled, her voice raspy.

"I didn't intend it to be."

"What do I look like, a magician?" she snapped. He said nothing. She sighed and turned away, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll just ask Yukina. She'll be happy to help." Kurama reached out and touched the side of her arm. She stopped, turning and glaring at him.

"It wont hurt to try it," Hiei said gruffly. She glared at him as well before turning back to Kurama.

"Fine," she snapped. "I'll prove it to you." She walked over to the couch and sat down, careful not to upset the creature in her arms. She cooed softly when it squeaked in protest as she placed it on her lap. She removed most of the sweater, letting the brown weasel-like mammal look around with its beady eyes.

"Tell me what to do," she said, running her hands through the ermine's fur, picking dirt and burrs from it. Kurama gave an invisible smile.

"Close your eyes and place your hands on the injury lightly," he explained. She didn't ask questions, although she gave him a uncertain look before complying. "Think of the bone knitting back together and the muscles threading back together," Kurama continued. "Feel its pain and focus on it. Imagine it disappearing."

Rose scrunched her face up in concentration. She might be bodily exhausted, but her focus was unwavering. She would prove to them that she couldn't to it, and maybe they'd get off her back about it.

Suddenly, a feeling struck her, a spark similar to the one she had experienced when walking in the woods. She felt immense pain, dulled only by time. She gasped and gritted her teeth, willing. Willing it to heal, to go away. No more pain, she asked. She tried to think of what Kurama had told her. Mend and go away. No more pain. Fuse the bone. Reattach the muscle.

Something exploded inside her, flooding an empty riverbed within her with the purest of water. A water that was not water, but something with just as much power over the things around it. Strength flooded through her and the pain was suddenly gone, replaced by a soothing warmth.

'Thank you.'

She did not know why the two words ran through her head, but they did, making her release an unconsciously held breath in a sigh as her mind darkened into unconsciousness. The pain was gone.

* * *

A/N: Yes! I got this second chapter out within a week of the last! its to make up for the horribly short one I wrote formerly. this one's a little more interesting, I think. again, thank you all so much for staying with me!

**_Reviews_**:

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: **agg... did you see naruto last night! the dubbing just wasn't as great as the original, but it never is, I don't think. Although I will say I like Sasuke's and Kakashi's voices. of course, they can never measure up to the Japanese voices, but you can tell the dubbers weren't so stupid as to cheat them out of a voice like their personality. ack! a petition for better dubbing! why wasn't it sent to me! and yeah, I know about the HW thing. I'm a senior too and its like, wtf, this is supposed to be our cruise year! lol, then again, _I_ was the one who asked to crap as much crap into my schedual as possible. I don't want to have to pay for classes in college that I can get for one fifth of the price in HS. so yeah, I decided to take two major college classes with a million and one electives this year. its _lame_. lol. here's your update, thank you so much!

**__**

The Password:

See former chapters!


	22. Voices In My Mind

_The Wielder of BlackFire:_

_The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance_

BY: Black Dragon Diva

Sequel to: The Legend Lives

Summary: There's a new enemy stalking toward the human world, determined to rule both Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma sends the Spirit Detectives off. To find their old partner. And Old enemy. Problem: She's not who she used to be...

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: Voices In My Mind

* * *

"What in the seven hells is going on!" The outburst was coupled with the slamming of a door as it was thrust open, making the occupants of the room cringe at the force. Genkai's face was calm as it always was, but tense with aggression.

She had come running when she had felt an explosive amount of energy erupt and begin to pulse throughout the estate. The violent shock had made her arrive as fast as she could.

"You tell me," Yusuke said. The young man turned away from his sensei's abrupt entrance back toward the couch, his expression perplexed. Beside him Kurama was smiling a small, but triumphant smile. More toward the other side of the room Hiei was looking away from her, his features pleased.

The old sensei's eyes flickered to the couch in an instant, taking in the giant flame of Spirit Energy that licked and slithered over the couch and into the air. With a huff the woman stalked into the room and turned to the couch.

"We broke her, Genkai," Kurama said. The master studied the prone figure on the couch, ignoring the energy, of which was slowly dying down to more acceptable levels. Rose lie limply on the cushions, dark green energy rippling over her clothing and pulling at her hair. On her lap a bristling ermine watched them with weary contempt in its eyes. It seemed eerily unaffected by the energy ruffling its dark brown fur.

"Its just as Thorn said," Yusuke murmured. Genkai's eyes snapped to his thoughtful face.

"How's that?" Genkai snapped. There's nothing more irritating than being ripped from meditation, and to say the least she was annoyed at the interruption.

It was then that Kuwabara decided to burst into the room, Yukina close behind him, her red eyes concerned.

"What's going on?" the carrot-top boomed. His dark eyes darted around the room frantically, landing on the dimming Spirit Energy. He stiffened defensively.

"Nothing to be concerned about, Kuwabara," Kurama said. He was still studying the young woman on the couch with interest. "We have, however, unlocked her Spirit Energy." His small smile widened slightly. "With the help of our little friend here." He chuckled as the creature gave a small growl. "Her determination to heal him broke the wall around her Spirit Energy that Thorn installed."

The small group moved to look at the girl, who seemed peaceful in her slumber.

"Well, that's pretty cool," Kuwabara said, tilting his head.

"Maybe we should put her in her room," Yusuke said. The brown ermine on Rose's lap looked up at his voice, glaring at him silently. From the looks of it, the injured leg had healed well and it seemed to be feeling fine. It caught Kuwabara's attention.

"Hey, look! It's a weasel!" the big-mouthed oaf said, reaching forward to pet it.

"Be careful Kazuma. Ermines are easily upset," Yukina said, her gaze worried when the teen moved closer.

"It's okay Yuk-HEY!" the boy screeched, jerking hand back as the creature made a lunge for it. The group snickered at him, and even Hiei cracked a smirk.

"Stay… back…" Rose's mumbling broke them from their quiet laughter. The girl brought her hand to her lap and the ermine backed against it, pressing itself into her arm. There was a fierce glow to its eyes and it growled again.

"Leave them alone," Hiei said. The group turned to look at him as he spoke. "She should rest." The rest asserted their agreement with a nod.

Five minutes later the room was fairly empty, many having returned to their respective section of the shrine. Yusuke managed to drag Kuwabara away from Yukina enough for some late-afternoon training. The brunette tried to convince Kurama to come as well, but the kitsune insisted that he should finish reading the information Rose had given him to look over. When he turned to find Hiei the youkai was nowhere to be seen.

Rose continued to sleep on the couch, the strange creature she had rescued on her lap, laying there wearily, watching the humans disperse and observing Kurama with beady, shifty eyes.

Kurama read in silence, occasionally looking up at the unconscious Rose, but otherwise absorbed in his reading. Thorn had certainly done an excellent job of thoroughly researching the demon, listing strengths, potential weaknesses and attacks, and areas in need of possible improvement. Kurama's eyes reread an especially interesting insert on the page.

_At the current moment, she has no knowledge of her potential. With time and maturity she could be an ally worth having. I am told by BlackFire that she is just what we need to accomplish the task set ahead of us. The Wave and Sound powers at the moment leave much to be desired, but strength with them is easily achieved once she learns to unlock and harness their power. I have given her a gift to aid in this and hope I have not misplaced it upon an unworthy person. With this gift she cannot be taken lightly, for it lifts her greatest weakness so that she may build on her strength._

Kurama thought over the passage carefully. Lifted her weakness? Gods, that could not bode well for them.

Kurama sighed. It was about three months shy of a year since Thorn had walked before them, enlightening them as to her plight, telling them she was destroying herself and saving them the trouble. She didn't realize the pain involved in her 'death', either that or ignored it so that she might go through with her plans.

Hiei never openly expressed his pain aloud, but it was in his eyes for a long time after, creeping through the thick walls he had built around his heart. There were times when Kurama saw it even now, and it did not please him. But Hiei had excepted her disappearance easily. Perhaps he knew something the kitsune did not, or it might be just because he never was one to dwell heavily on his past. And her death was just that; the _past_. Unchangeable and easily forgotten. But this was not something the fire youkai would easily forget, especially with Thorn's host body so close. The body that Kurama's nose had told him Hiei had held and embraced, and something so intimate wasn't easily forgotten. Yet after that night Hiei had let her go. Why? Perhaps he knew he couldn't keep her. Couldn't hide her forever. Would one day be forced to be her enemy once again. She too had probably known this and knew better than to risk him being discovered with her after the battle with the Black Blaze. Who knew what trouble it would have caused.

Who knew what trouble it could cause now.

When Rose awoke later that day with was with a jerk that made the ermine lying on her lap jump to attention. She groaned quietly, her neck and head aching, but didn't open her eyes, relaxing into the warmth that seemed to fill her.

"Easy," she cooed quietly, resting a hand on the ermine's back in a gentle gesture as the other hand rose to hold her head.

She winced. "Please, stop all your damn screaming." She sat up slowly, blinking her eyes to the sudden light that pierced them. The room swirled on a broken hinge. She blinked rapidly, trying to force color into the black and white image. She concentrated hard, only to realize she was looking into a blurry mirror. Her own face stared back at her, full of pain and confusion. What?

She shook her head, earning a throb of pain for her troubles. She blinked again, more rapidly this time, and struggled to assess her surroundings. It was in color again. She looked down at the brown creature on her lap, who's steady gaze watched her in something she could only describe as worry.

"So, you're awake." It was Kurama's voice, that she knew, but it wasn't the one she knew. It wasn't soft and easy, but something louder, rougher, with a growling undertone that sounded as though it hadn't been used in many years. She cringed at the sheer volume of it, which boomed and made her head hurt.

"Ack, you don't have to yell, Fox," she said. Her eyes were trained on her lap, willing her vision to stop swerving at random intervals. "And will the rest of you shut up? My head hurts like hell."

Kurama studied the girl across the coffee table from him before looking at Hiei, who had returned not long before. The youkai looked as confused as the redhead. The kitsune looked back at Rose, who was leaning forward slightly, a hand running through her hair and over her scalp while the other absently scratched the creature that stood on her knees. He glanced around the room. There was no one else and Hiei and Kurama had made no sound at all. The entire temple was deathly silent. What was she ranting on about?

"Calm down, Rose," Kurama said, careful to lower his voice to hardly a whisper. She closed her eyes, clenching her teeth against the hum of pain. The ermine lifted itself slightly to rest a paw on her stomach, staring at her intently.

_Block out everything. Think nothing, just block. Restore your mind's protective walls_. The voice that spoke to Rose was soft, but persistent and coaxing, as a mother's is when it is teaching its child to read. It felt familiar, comforting, and soothed her agony enough for her to begin to relax and concentrate on blocking out the hectic world around her. Where were all these voices _coming_ from? She opened her eyes slowly as the voices subsided to faint, bickering whispers that could be more easily ignored.

"What happened?" she asked as she looked up, her vision finally clearing enough to notice that Hiei and Kurama were watching her with a strange, almost worried, glint in their respective eyes.

"You blacked out," Hiei said simply. She rubbed her temple as her eyes darted around the room. They were alone.

"I had a fit?" she asked, perplexed.

"No, we unlocked the power that we were searching for," Kurama said, being sure to keep his voice low and undeniably soft. She balked at the answer, tilting her head in question, the gesture almost comical. No one laughed.

"Is that why everything's so loud?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck where it had rested uncomfortably on the couch.

"No, it is quiet. We don't know what it is you're hearing, but it's nothing from in the temple." The kitsune watched her as she pulled a knot out of her hair.

"Then you don't hear them?" she asked, glancing at him, her brow furrowed. He shook his head.

"No, but perhaps you will allow Hiei to hear what you hear with the Jagan?" he asked, motioning toward the silent demon. She hesitated slightly. And especially loud voice yelled out an obscenity. Her lips twitched before she nodded slowly.

"Yeah, sure," she said. Hiei crossed the room immediately and stared her in the eye, contemplating the brightness in her dark eyes before removing his headband and closing his red eyes so that the violet one could be better used to its potential.

The dark recess of her mind was mostly closed off to the fire youkai. However, that wasn't was he was after right now, but the voices screeching through her head, breathing over his intrusion like ghosts to a haunted mansion. Most were cries of warning or a scold, at times a yelp of panic. It took him a full moment to realize that these were not voices at all, but tendrils of thought that she was intercepting, like a giant radio station. Voices of the creatures that surrounded the temple. The _animals_.

Hiei pulled back, grateful for the silence that washed over him as he did so. He glared into her eyes. Her psychic abilities were that keen? Sensitive enough to be able to pick up the thoughts of those that, not only she couldn't see, but those of which she didn't even know the brain patters of.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl before him asked, returning his glare full force. Apparently, he had thought before fully exiting her mind and she had heard it. He merely grunted.

"You're psychic abilities were awakened as well as your Spirit Energy. You're hearing the animals in the forest?" he explained.

"Why would I hear them?" she asked.

"It is-"

"Shush," Rose scolded the ermine softly, tapping his side with a finger. Kurama raised a brow as he abandon his former sentence.

"You can understand him?"

"Ahh, no?" she said, shifting uncomfortably. The Youko's voice pounded in her head. Kurama fell silent, giving Hiei a meaningful glance to ask the question he wanted the answer to without hurting the girl further.

"What did he say?" Hiei asked.

"Who?" She shook her head as though shaking off a thought. He jerked his chin toward the ermine on her lap. "Oh, I don't know."

"Find out," the demon ordered. She shot him a glare, which was mirrored by two beady eyes from the creature on her lap.

"I'm not a spy, Hiei. And right now I don't want to deal with this, I'm tired."

He nodded reluctantly; it was understandable. Rose looked down at the ermine. The creature reminded her of something, but she couldn't recall just what. Like a long-lost pet. It was then that she noticed its leg no longer hung at an odd angle. In fact, it was resting proper weight on it.

"Hey, Kurama, did you heal him?" she asked, looking up. He shook his head. "Then you asked Yukina?" He shook his head again. "Genkai?" No. She paused, weary and hesitant. Kurama gave a small smile as it dawned on her.

"Me?" She nearly squeaked out the word. Kurama nodded, his lips twitching into a larger smile. She blinked and gazed at the ermine, which watched her curiously.

"I remember now," she said quietly after a sparse moment of silence. "Wow, I really did it then…"

_Yes_.

The voice was there again, soothing, but not really even a voice. It was more like a feeling, a passing assertion that her brain recognized as 'yes'. She looked into the small black eyes.

"Yasha," she whispered. The girl didn't understand to know why, but the name came into her mind as though recognizing a distant relative. The dark eyes danced and she could have sworn it smiled at her.

Grumbling slightly, Rose pushed herself to her feet, one hand supporting the ermine. Her head reeled a moment and the voices came back, louder than before. She bit her lip, holding back a whimper of pain as she steadied herself and blocked them out once again.

'She should sit down,' Kurama thought as he observed her struggle. She jerked her eyes toward him, something not yet a scowl, but ready to turn into it on her features.

"Stop worrying about me, I'm not a pansy, I'll be fine," she said nippingly. She paused a moment. So it was _his_ voice! That voice like black sand, course but beautiful and soft and dark all in one. It made sense, after all, he was a kitsune. However, this wasn't his voice at all, it was aged and wise and arrogant in a measured sense.

She saw him blink in surprise before nodding slightly. He would have to keep his thoughts out of range of her.

"I'm going to wash up before we eat," Rose announced. "After I set this little guy outside." The creature seemed content to settle in her arms and be carried. The two demons nodded and she left.

It wasn't two minutes later when they heard a soothing voice encouraging the rescued wildlife to return to the forest. After nearly twenty minutes there was a growl and they heard her stop back into the shrine, closing the door behind her with a muffled 'bang'.

"It seems as though we'll be kept busy now," Kurama said quietly, comfortable with speaking only after the girl was in a far corner of the building. Hiei nodded.

"We don't have much time," he continued, running a hand through his red mane.

"We never had much time," Hiei reminded him. The kitsune nodded in grim agreement. And, unfortunately, the time, which was so precious to them, was slowly slipping away.

* * *

A/N: yes, its been a terribly long time hasn't it? Well, I can safely say it wasn't Naruto-kun's fault this time, although I wish it was, that would be far less troublesome. Nope, my computer got a virus and I lost EVERYTHING. Thus, I had to go up in the attic and dig out my old notebooks where I wrote this and re-type it. Thus, the style might be a little different from previous chapters, ne? anyway, its short, but I'm satisfied enough just to get it out. Trust me, a month without a computer is not good. Then another month moping because I lost all 130+ episodes of Naruto didn't help ANYTHING. Lol. Anyway, here's everyone's update if you're still reading at all. I want to thank my new reviewer! They really helped me to push this out sooner! Sankyuu!

_**Reviews:**_

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**: lol, watching Naruto again this Sat pulled me out of my slump, and now I'm _determined_ to re download all of my Naruto eps! Yes, it did suck, the Japanese version is obviously so much better, but it kinda sucks that we have 20 weeks of _filler_ episodes. Gah! I hate it! Gimme Sasuke-kun! –sniff- lol. Anyway, Kurama's being punished for his slyness, because he can be such a bastard sometimes :P. haha foxie. And I know the feeling about having no time. I've been applying to colleges for WEEKS without rest, its really getting tiresome. And how'd the hurricane think work out? Hawaii gets hurricanes? Lol, sorry, stupid question. anyway, thanks!

**miyako14:** its okay! Sorry it took so long to update! Here you go! Thanks!

**new reviewer! I feel the Love!**

**Koji Jaganshi: **lol, sorry, it gets better. Besides, I have a sadistic part of me that BEGS me to kill my own characters. Bad habit, I know, but its bitter sweet, cuz now the guys can get on with their lives without outside people, ne? besides, OC's interfering with the rest of their life don't appeal to me. sorry!

**Reiko x 3:** and you'll have to see about Yasha, but it'll become clear next chapter! Er… clearer. And even more clear later on! He's a cute little creature. Lol! Thanks, I'm glad I help to stimulate brain cells! I try not to make it too predictable or anything, cuz that takes the fun out, ne! Hai! Here's yer update, thank you!


	23. Meditation Complications

_The Wielder of BlackFire:_

_The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance_

BY: Black Dragon Diva

Sequel to: The Legend Lives

Summary: There's a new enemy stalking toward the human world, determined to rule both Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma sends the Spirit Detectives off. To find their old partner. And Old enemy. Problem: She's not who she used to be...

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three: Meditation Complications

* * *

"You're done here. Get out." Genkai didn't sound pleased, but her voice didn't exactly seem disappointed.

The day was at its very peak, the sun beating down on the mountain mercilessly with thick summer rays of heat. It was airy due to the elevation, but too warm to be entirely comfortable.

Rose nodded as she struggled to catch her breath as she stretched out. The lesson had been, by far, the worst of all that she had received during her stay here, but she didn't feel exhausted. In fact, it was more refreshing, if rather tiring. It was as though she had found some hidden strength in her limbs. It made her feel as though she could climb mountains and tread against the current of a fierce river.

The hardest part of the exercise was not in the physical aspect. No, it was mental, trying to keep those voices at bay as she struggled to concentrate on the lesson at hand. _That _exhausted her.

However, her day was not complete just yet. She had been instructed the night before, after trying and failing to get the ermine to leave, that she should meditate to help her maintain her focus. It was her hope, that with practice, she could get rid of the persistent little creature.

Speak of the devil, the ermine lifted its head as she pulled the sliding door aside and stepped out into the oppressing sunlight. It had hardly left her side since the day before, and it was almost irritating. As if she didn't have enough damn guards watching her every move, now she had a slinky-shaped shadow too.

The creature bounced up from its resting place outside the door and trotted or galloped after her, coat a glossy chocolate in the light, rippling over muscles like silk. It kept at her heels while she tried to ignore it, at times brushing against her casual linen pants, but otherwise unobtrusive. As long as she ignored the creature, it should leave her alone right? The ermine didn't seem to think so.

Rose took a detour once into the woods, splashing her face with cool water from a small, giggling stream near the clearing where she planned to work. She wiped the moisture away with her sleeve and felt better for the dampening of her hair and skin. The ermine ran a circle around her as she entered the clearing and sat yoga-style.

Meditating was not a new thing for the young woman. In fact, it had been eagerly encouraged among the therapists once she had come to. After Thorn had infested her body. Mostly it was to control the anger and the helplessness of having her world broken to bits, and being left with the shattered remains that lie, sharp as glass and as distorted as fun-house mirrors, around her. There had been so much _rage_ back then. And even now, at times, she could feel it simmering beneath the surface, like a beast in her throat.

The ermine hopped onto her lap, gazing at her face curiously. If she weren't so damn uncomfortable with the voices she'd have asked the damn thing _why_ it wouldn't leave her the hell alone. But for now she just glared and shut her eyes, ignoring it completely.

She took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles both internally and externally. To think of nothing was a difficult thing to do. In the darkness of her own skull the voices seem amplified, echoing off the wall-less space of her mind. But to keep the voices at bay without the distractions of sight and tension was considerably easier and the stress of doing so eased away. She relaxed, letting the darkness and the hushing silence settle and keep her company. The warmth of the sun on her shoulders and hair seeped into her skin and grew stronger; the shade of the lightly bending trees overhead more refreshing. She allowed these opposites to wash over her, pulling them like blankets around her. She took deep, peaceful breaths and allowed her world to fall away into nothingness. Here there were no voices, no stupid guards, none of that dumb 'save the world' crap that she didn't want to be involved in. But she needed to right her past wrongs, she needed to get stronger, to help and to finally go back home where life was simple and easy.

'_You should listen to what they have to say.'_

A faint voice slid into Rose's protected room, past her guards and under her wards. She struggled to push it away, and failed.

'_Do not ignore them. It is easier to listen.'_

'_Who are_ you' she asked at last, giving up on forcing the other's conscious away.

'_My name is Yasha.'_

'_What do you want?_' she snapped. Whatever this was, it was interrupting her!

'_I am here as your guardian, to offer you assistance_,' the voice said. Rose froze then bit back her rage. She didn't need any help meditating, thank you very much!

'_I don't need help_," she said hotly. '_And how did you get in my head anyway?_'

'_I am a creature of the forest, and so you can hear my thoughts_,' it said.

'_As if that wasn't obvious enough_,' she commented dryly. '_I _meant _how can you override my barriers?_

'_Because we have a bond. We have for a long time, I just haven't been around to share it with you_,' it, and she was fairly certain it was a male voice, said. She paused, thinking over the words and trying to understand.

'_I… you must be the ermine I healed, aren't you?_' the brunette asked.

'_Yes. If you'll allow me to explain myself, I'll tell you everything you need to know.'_

She snorted and said: _'Great, sounds like fun. Let's hear it.'_

'_I was told by Thorn to keep watch over you,'_ Yasha began. She could faintly, outside of this reality, feel him settle firmly in her lap. _'I could sense your powers manifesting themselves quietly under your skin. I apologize for being so blunt in drawing out your strength, but it was necessary to ensure it did not burst from your flesh and consume you.'_

'_Sure, great to know there's more than just a few people who wanna keep me alive.'_

'_Hm, yes. And now I will be able to teach you to rein in your mental… eccentricities. Thorn instructed me to assist you.'_

'_Thorn? How come?'_ Rose asked, suddenly at attention. Personally, she didn't feel like she would need the help, but information on her former personality wasn't something she was willing to just walk away from.

'_She knew you would need help. Even _she_ needed help from the Black Blaze to help block out the Voices. However, your brain is already accustomed to Blocking, so it should be easier for you than for her.'_ There was a curious pause here as Rose absorbed the information, rolling it in her mind.

'_You seem to understand that Mistress Thorn was more than just your subconscious mind. Do you know who she was?'_

'_She was a monster,_' Rose spat quietly. Yasha was silent, allowing her words to echo in the soft emptiness of her mind.

'_Perhaps we should begin our lesson,_' he said abruptly. The girl upon whose lap he sat said nothing. She vowed to herself to strengthen her blocking abilities against Yasha so she could drown him out when it pleased her.

'_Sure, whatever.'

* * *

_

It was getting late. The sun was setting and dinner smelled of fresh rich and fish in the kitchen. But not even the tantalizing aroma of Yukina's awesome cooking distracted him from the fact that Yukina set the table for eight, but there were only _six_ people eagerly awaiting the serving of the meal. Genkai had run off to her gaming room (which she had long _ago _forbidden to Yusuke and the others) to shoot pixilated ninjas and mutant zombie creatures in search of fresh brains. Kuwabara hovered around the kitchen, carefully stepping out of Yukina's way as she maneuvered and tried to make himself as small as possible. Kurama sat on the couch in the other room, reading that damn spiral notebook still more, and Yusuke himself was glaring at the TV, the remote to which he couldn't find to save his life. He was betting it was one of Genkai's tests, and if he found it he would obviously have the time to train and so she'd find _something_ for him to train. He'd rather sit and ... well... think, I guess could be the term for it.

Hiei hadn't been around all day, but that wasn't abnormal. Off training or something. Terrorizing small children and skinning cats maybe, he really didn't care. If he hadn't showed up by now he had probably found some other way to get food. So it wasn't Hiei he was coupling the lateness of the day with. It was actually Rose. Stupid girl, didn't she have any sense to be in before dark? It was getting bloody _late._ And knowing the Hag they'd probably have to wait for her! Agg...

"Oi, Kurama, Rose is late. Should we go look for her before we eat?" the brunet asked, glancing at him from his cross-legged position on the floor at the casually couch-draped kitsune.

"She's out meditating. We should allow her to take as much time as she needs," Kurama said, eyes reading faster, sometimes sticking on the harder English words. He'd have to get more of that visual translating powder from Koenma. As good as he was as a student, even English gave him trouble, and some of the words he was baffled by. He was suddenly grateful for his Japanese-English dictionary as he searched for the meaning of _obtuse_. Wasn't that a triangle?

But Kurama could suppose that Yusuke had a point. Rose had been gone for more than what was safe. Not that he had any doubt that Hiei was watching out for her (it had been recommended that with the surging of her Spirit Energy that she should have a constant guard. She didn't know it, but Hiei had silently taken over the job, even before the suggestion.). The fire youkai would ensure that she did what needed to happen and nothing more, or less for that matter.

Yusuke merely sighed and longingly looked into the kitchen as Kurama ignored him for his reading. Where was she? He was _hungry_.

* * *

'_The animals will tell you everything you need to know of your surroundings. Listen to them and you will never be lost, nor unguided. Don't let them take over when you lower your gates, but allow select voices to pour in. Good, now remember that they can hear you, just as you can hear them. You can impose your will on them, but it will only make them trust you less and encourage them to fear you. The fear in wild creatures is not something you want,'_ Yasha said. He was a patient teacher, assisting where he could with Rose's training. Her mind knew the skills necessary for the training, it was a matter of making the young woman conscious of such skills and telling her how best to use them. Of course, measuring Rose's abilities proved a tad bit more difficult than the ermine had thought. Thorn's power had been so neat, organized and controlled. Rose's was wild, thready and thick, strewn with disorder.

Rose was silent through his instruction, internally awed, although she said nothing of this to her current teacher. But he could sense it on her mind. The emotions that could flood her should she let them, the joy of a flight, the satisfaction of a good meal, the fear of prey being chased. It overwhelmed her, but at the same time it lifted her heart, as though she had known this all her life and was being reacquainted with an old friend. She listened and she felt and she knew, it she tried, she could see, she could _become_.

'_We mustn't rush your training. In time, you will see with their eyes, but for now we must work on your blocking. A badly constructed shield will sap your power and leave you vulnerable.'_

'_I have no time to waste,'_ Rose said firmly. If Yasha noticed, he said nothing.

'_We have time,'_ was the simple reply. Rose was skeptical of the creature still and his words sounded hollow, like a false promise. She shut down her walls and slowly opened her eyes. The chocolate-hued creature looked at her with small dark eyes. If he had caught her doubt he didn't show it. Then again, she couldn't exactly read the expression on his face.

The voices lay muffled behind her barrier as she stood and stretched stiff and sore muscles. She felt weary as she turned this way and that, struggling to crack her almost painfully stiff back. She sighed as she straightened and didn't protest with Yasha leapt to her shoulder, ignoring him completely as she headed back toward the temple.

The sun hung low in the west, blurred and sleepy against the hilly horizon. It painted the foliage a shimmering gold and lit Rose's hair and the ermine's fur with fire. It was warm and soothing in the sun's fading light and the girl paused to soak it in for a moment. She glanced around her slowly, searching the trees.

'_Uneasy?' _Yasha asked. She pursed her lips slightly.

'_No,'_ she replied easily, turning back toward the trail. There were not demons this close to the temple, the wards assured it, so it must have been an animal watching her abandon her former resting place.

Hiei ran ahead to return to the temple first.

* * *

AN:

wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. I'm REALLY sorry for the delay. I was stupid enough to think that writing a novel for my senior project wouldn't affect my fanfiction writing time. WRONG. Of course it did, so for eight months that's all I did, and I'm not even satisfied with the finished piece! So again I'm really sorry for the delay, I didn't mean it at all! And of course I had to rewrite this chapter from the notebook (which makes me wince, because my writing style back then just... well it kinda sucked) so basically the entire thing was rewritten. No, I haven't edited it, so all mistakes are totally my fault. You can point them out, but I probably wont fix them :P.

_**Reviews:**_

**Koji Jaganshi: **thank you so much for the review! Here's an update!

**Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha**: -exhausted sigh- I am SO sorry for not updating faster. Thanks to you I actually remembered: hey, I haven't updated RR in like, EIGHT MONTHS. No, I am not dead, no I have not forgotten this story, and yes, there are still like 20 chapters to go -dies-. I'm going to try my hardest to finish this before school starts in the fall:P. I'm glad to hear you got accepted to a good school! I'm going to Ohio for my equine studies at Lake Erie and I really can't wait. Parents are good but, bleh, away is better. Just me and my horse! . Thanks again for getting me off my ass enough to type this chapter up. don't you remember when updates were once a week. Those were the days! thank you so much! -bows- PS: feel free to e-mail me any time and tell me to get my ass in gear :P


	24. Training

_The Wielder of BlackFire:_

_The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance_

By: Black Dragon Diva

Sequel to: The Legend Lives

Summary: There's a new enemy stalking toward the human world, determined to rule both Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma sends the Spirit Detectives off. To find their old partner. And Old enemy. Problem: She's not who she used to be...

Chapter Twenty Four: Training

-------------------------------

"_Is something the matter, Mistress?_"

"_No, it's nothing. And how many times do I have to have to tell you, it's ROSE, _not_ **Mistress.**" _

"_Yes, Mistress. Terribly sorry."_

Rose huffed in annoyance. He didn't sound very sorry at all. Humble, perhaps, but not sorry. She merely sighed and continued on with the lesson at hand. It had been nearly a week since she had finally agreed to take up meditation, as well as except assistance from the stupid, furry little creature that was, as it had taken to being, curled upon her lap. But she could stand it, stand being called Mistress, could stand the humble, quiet instructions the ermine gave her.

The lesson in blocking and listening and focusing had proven to please her furry instructor, and he had concluded that today they could begin on image-searching. He said with the ease she fell into the focus routine, he wouldn't have been surprised if this was her original power that Thorn had merely manifested on. It pleased her, to know that there was something she had all to herself, that was hers alone, and not a 'gift' from her other self.

Image-searching, she was coming to find, was much more difficult than blocking was. It was annoying her, which in turn broke her concentration. She was forced to focus on a single thread of thought, follow it through to the source, and pry into the mind of whatever was at the end of the thought. The problem was, with her focusing only on one strand of thought, her blocking wavered in shoving away the other voices, and she became distracted by their thoughtful exclamations.

It didn't help that the more she worked, the more she became aware of something watching her, not aggressively, but not with passive curiosity either. It didn't feel as it should with the forest creatures watching her, but more intelligent, with an attentiveness that was unnerving. She was forced to assume it was a neutral-hearted demon, deep in the forest, with exceptional perception that could pinpoint her location.

Once, after yesterday's lesson, she had tried to imprint her thoughts in it's head, much like speaking telepathically, but it had blocked her out. At night she had been experimenting with her psychic powers with the near-by minds of forest creatures, and would search for the presence, but she never found it by searching for it. It was obviously more powerful than her concerning blocking.

She sighed and fell back into the lesson. Listening to the persistent voices of the creatures that bombarded her mind had come to be an easy task, but sorting them redundant. Every time she lost her concentration she had to begin again. Of course, the practice she did in her spare time (as fleeting as it was) had helped her to improve. It took merely seconds to strain the voices, categorizing them and threading similar threads together into a delicate webbing of thought and placing them out of the way as she searched for a thread that proved good enough to image-search through. Even Yasha had a difficult time reading the webbing, but it didn't matter, as long as she knew how to, seeing as she would be the only one reading them.

Rose took a deep breath, steadying herself as she began the first step of the day's new lesson once more. It was far more difficult to enter a mind to see through it, especially since the only identification available consisted of one strand of thought. It didn't help that most animals were disinclined to use their eyes as much as their noses or ears. And finally, the biggest problem was that many, except for a secluded few, were willing to listen to her. They clamored for her attention, making choosing the correct one for the exercise difficult.

The brunette slipped into her meditation completely, but the harder she worked, the more blatant the tingle that breathed against her mind seemed to be. She could feel it, tickling around her Blocks like a foggy breath. She was forced to ignore it, or else be forced to start all over. Again. She wasn't looking forward to the thought.

Yasha had told her only of the foundation rules that were used to speak to the creatures, which would later be built on until the steps became easy and subconscious, then could be used as an outline for image-searching. By manipulating these rules during her spare time she found already she could convey thoughts and images to creatures and they would be able to understand her. She swallowed all knowledge he fed her during their time together, using it as means to her own end. She had found little as thrilling as speaking to creatures that had never heard a human thought before.

"_You must concentrate on one thread. You're switching from one to another without thought. Focus more, it will come to you if you let it_," Yasha explained, a little disheartedly if Rose was any judge. She switched more rapidly through the webbing, searching for a thought that sparked her interest, a blurry gray image that might accompany said thought if she was lucky. These would be the easiest to access.

The flash of color, of bright, rapid thoughts hidden within a whispy thread caught her eye. She had never seen it before, and it did not belong within her webbing, but slithered through it nonetheless, arrogant in its travels. It was interesting, so she followed it. She had yet to see any of the blurry images that might accompany a thought in color, for most were of darker, dim colors.

The thread began to quickly slither away, but she locked down its escape routes in hopes that she could catch and observe it. She quickly wove her way along, struggling to keep up with it with a stubborn air. She could feel Yasha's voice about to interrupt her chase when there came a strong, demanding and startlingly familiar voice from what she could only assume was the flashing thread of color.

"_What are you doing?_"

The cold, blank tones of the voice were easily recognizable. She quickly abandon the thread, allowing it to slink away as she concentrated on the voice.

"_I didn't know it was you, Hiei,_" she said, her voice only slightly embarrassed. He no doubt thought her skills weren't up to par, seeing as she couldn't even catch his psychic thread in her own mind. There's an accusing silence.

"_Hn. Just don't do it again,_" he replied gruffly.

Hiei himself was near-by, eyes wide with surprise. He kept his sentences short and almost bitter, trying to hide the surprise that echoed in his head. Rose had nearly broken into his mind, and only quick maneuvering had saved his mind from total exposure. It was true that Thorn had been able to lay his mind bare for her eyes with ease, but still, this girl was only human.

"_Then you shouldn't be in my range,_" Rose snapped suddenly, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

"_I will go where I please,_" Hiei practically growled, his bewilderment quickly turning to scorn.

"_Why are you out here anyway?_" she asked hotly, her powers hot next to his as she spoke emotionally. She could kill an opponent if she got too angry, Hiei noted. However, he ignored her question.

Rose waited for an answer, her anger building with continued annoyance. She probed the connection warily, wondering if it had been severed, or she too weak to uphold it in anger.

"_Hiei?_" she questioned loudly, the silence clearly suggesting the connection was gone. She pulled and poked again, annoyed at her own weakness. She could feel him cringe at the boom of her voice in his head as she intensified her power.

"_Not so loud,_" he snapped.

"_You didn't answer my question._"

There was a pause in which Rose waiting with mocking patience. The fire youkai pursed his lips and straightened on his perch, ignoring the way the tree's bark rasped against his back.

"_Get back to your lesson, I have work to do_," he replied, as though his time had suddenly become too precious to share with her. The brunette felt the tell-tale _snap!_ Of the mental link disconnecting and clenched her jaw in frustration. Instead she took a deep, steadying breath and pushed away the urge to search for his conscience again to demand an explanation for his abrupt departure. She soothed her ego by saying it was childish, but inside she sulked. She was being denounced again, ignored like a child not worth wasting explanations for. It made her seethe inside and she was hard-pressed to ignore the obvious blow to her pride.

The girl opened her eyes and looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She would show them her worth, because she was not a child. She was worth their attention and their confidence.

------------------------------------

"How's your meditation going, Rose?" Kurama asked one evening as he leafed through the pages of the newspaper. He sat in the failing light in the living room with the girl, he on the couch while she sat, legs pulled up under herself, on the armchair.

"Fine," she replied, her hand rolling machanically over the soft mahogany fur of the ermine on her lap, whose formerly closed eyes opened to slivers as the kitsune spoke. The creature lie, content, in a curled ball, his throat working in a purr.

The redhead glanced over at her, taking in her blank, thoughtful expression. It had been many weeks since she had arrived at the temple, and since her meditation had begun her voice seemed less and less likely to light the air except in quiet murmurs. It had hit all of them like a solid wall of force, and reminded them of a certain sword-wielding, black-clad woman that had mysteriously showed up at the Dark Tournament. Her power hummed like invisible music drifting into the ear from rooms away, at times brushing against the Spirit Detective's skin imperceptibly. However, as the lessons continued, the fainter the brushes grew, but they were still there, breathable against her skin.

The control the lessons brought was a relief. Kurama could speak with her without thundering against her mind painfully, although there was still a deep, silkier voice whispering when he spoke to her.

Rose stood suddenly, causing Kurama to look up from the paper at her. She glanced at him quickly before beginning to leave.

"If you'll excuse me," she said almost haughtily as she exited the room, as though she needed permission to leave. Yasha looked back at him for a moment, green eyes catching on black, before the creature leapt to the girl's shoulder and they walked out of sight.

The girl nearly bumped into Yukina, who was bringing a tray of tea for Genkai in the next room. Rose stopped short and apologized to her. She was rewarded with a small, forgiving smile.

"Yukina-san... would you like to take a walk with me?" The brunette asked suddenly. Yukina blinked slowly before giving a hearty nod.

"I would love to, Rose-san," the ice apparition said.

"Alright, I'll wait outside. This place is too crowded and oppressing," she said, her voice loud enough for Kurama to hear, and ignore, it. The maiden gave a small bow and turned to quickly deliver the steaming tea on the tray.

Kurama listened as Rose quickly walked out of the compound, noting when Yukina's quiet footsteps echoed hers a few moments later.

"Aren't you going out as well, Hiei?"

The fire youkai grunted in answer, stepping out of the corner of the room, where he was hardly noticeable on a soft cushion that had been shoved against the wall. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his cloak, his bright eyes staring at the doorway through which Rose had departed, and probably looking deeper toward where she and his sister were walking across the courtyard. He sulked quietly, almost imperceptibly.

"I could, but she would know," he said darkly. Kurama looked up at him, one eyebrow quirking in question.

"Her abilities are already that strong?" the redhead asked. Hiei gave a small, jerky nod.

"She found me watching her lessons a few days ago," he replied. The kitsune settled the newspaper across his knees, thoughtful. Hiei glanced down at him.

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed her control while you watched her healing lessons with Genkai," Hiei said gruffly. It was true, he _had_ noticed vast improvement during her sessions with the elder lady that had been suggested and begun a few days after her meditation had begun.

"Hm," he said. "But I have a feeling that the ermine is assisting her more than we know. There's an intelligence in his eyes that I've seen only in mammalian demons." He sighed. "I have a feeling he's Rose's intended guardian, to teach her about her powers in case Thorn's hold on her Spirit Energy weakened, to ensure nothing terrible happened."

Hiei frowned slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. The conclusion Kurama had come to was frightfully valid. Could Thorn have had so little confidence in her abilities? Or, perhaps, she knew there were flaws in her strength. And that thought, above all, was terrifying.

---------------------------------------

AN: wow, it's been a while! over a month! I actually found an old copy of this on a floppy disk, so instead of rewriting it from scratch, I'm redoing all of my crappy, sophmore-writing skills. -le sigh- so yes, sorry for the long wait. for those of you who have stuck with me after all this time, I thank you! -bows x infinity-

**_Reviews:_**

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: -bows a LOT- thank you so much for getting my ass in gear! without your PM I totally would have flopped out. as it is, I still didn't get it done half as fast as I wanted to! hope college Prep is going great for you my mother's HARPING on me about making sure I have everything. aggg!

Koji Shikage: thank you for the review! Rose doesn't like Thorn very much, but there's nothing I can do about it, she's very much running away from me u. whoops. thanks again!

J


	25. Time: Friend or Foe?

_The Wielder of BlackFire:_

_The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance_

By: Black Dragon Diva

Sequel to: The Legend Lives

Summary: There's a new enemy stalking toward the human world, determined to rule both Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma sends the Spirit Detectives off. To find their old partner. And Old enemy. Problem: She's not who she used to be...

Chapter Twenty-Five: Time- Friend or Foe?

* * *

Time, ever illusive and ever secretive, has a way of being childish. It casts fabulous illusions of itself flying by those who desire it the most and creeping around those who wish for it only to pass. For the Spirit Detectives, it can be said that time was brushing past them with all the speed of a run-away train about to jump its tracks. They trained and trained and fought to salvage every second before the speeding locomotive abandon the tracks and created chaos. But it seemed as though an illusion, that time had begun to toy with their sanity simply by being there to taunt them.

* * *

Rose gave a quiet sigh from her perch on her windowsill. She glanced quickly around the room, satisfied in seeing Yasha sleeping quietly on her bed. There wasn't time to wait for her eyes to fade back into color from gray, so she quietly eased her way into the dark room, stepping down onto the plush carpet silently and turning to close the window without a sound. She noticed two light incisions in the wood where her hands rested and hurriedly willed her clawed fingertips back into harmless human nails. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and felt the power fade as she did so. She reached up, touching her hair -noticing only a faint coarseness to it- and ears. They had, thankfully, shrunken back to their normal size and shape. She dusted off her skin of the dirt and debris she had picked up along her excursion.

With cautious footsteps she pulled on her bedclothes and eased into her futon beside the sleeping ermine.

When she finally closed her eyes, the limey luster that made them glow wildly had faded to a smoldering flame.

* * *

Hiei flickered onto the tree branch to land in a crouch. It was instinctual, and a good thing it was, for his mind had wandered far away. He sat down, glancing at the position of the moon, so high in the sky that a false dawn stretched out in the east, and settled into his own comfort.

Weariness straddled his heart and made it difficult to breath steadily.

* * *

_...Flashback..._

_Hiei stood far from the window, watching from the seclusion of a nearby tree-line as Rose, bare of all clothing but the most intimate necessities, crept from her room, eyes bright in the moonlight; bright enough to make red eyes widen and invoke a thrum in the demon's chest. _

_She stalked forward, sending the surrounding open area sensory looks that screamed prey about to be caught. _

_The young woman glided toward the woodland only after she dubbed all was safe, water-like muscles rippling and changing under skin, face becoming pointed and ears slanting. Claws burst from under fingertips and she winced, exposing jagged canines. _

_She ran into the woods, a gurgle of agony in her throat that she refused to release. And Hiei followed until she caught his scent and maneuvered in a way that cut off his ability to trail her. _

_The wolves howled in fear of a monster in their midst.

* * *

_

Hiei had refused to use his Jagan to track her. He could tell merely by the power signature that she was trying to desperately to suppress that it would only be blinded and, in turn, prove useless. But Hiei was not one to be outwitted and thus had waited until she returned from her shape-shifting escapade, wondering what he would see in her eyes.

Would they be bright blue with terrifying power?

Would they burn a smoldering, angry dark green of her spiritual energy?

Would they be bright emerald? The color of neon lights and hybrid auras?

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly through his nose. He had been unable to see her in the open of the training yards. She had stuck to the tree line upon her return and the moon had crept behind depressing cloud cover. He couldn't see what shape she had taken.

Had a blackened dragon, or even a sooty wolf, stepped upon the sacred earth of the forest? Or was it a canine of lighter hues? Of bright chartreuse eyes and ivory fur?

The youkai pressed the heel of his hand to the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the unsteady, curious churning of his gut. Time was breathing down their necks. Was it because of the Wave Master, or a far more intimate threat? Because Rose was learning with astounding swiftness the arts that had been seen preformed only by the woman of whom they had seen as both and ally and an enemy; the container of the Black Blaze, who could control the very fires that Hiei had rippling over his right arm in a tattoo that was frightfully similar to the image of the creature adorning Rose's bedroom wall.

He took a slow, deep breath, feeling the crisp scent of the night wallow in the crannies of his lungs and ease out the sickness he felt breeding there. There were two days left. Was it enough or far too much? Would they be protecting the brunette or burning her with Thorn's former ally?

He looked up at the slowly lightening sky. At the end of the second day the moon would be full. Full, like the night Thorn was free. Or perhaps that was an eclipse of the Black Blaze's nature and it would prove to give the pulsing power he would need to rip free of the thick human flesh?

From the room that Rose had claimed Yasha growled. The girl soothed him with sleepy mumblings. Even now the fire youkai could feel the fading spell she had put on the ermine to ensure that he would sleep soundly and wondered if the creature knew it had been... bewitched. Judging from the soft, content yowl, the answer was no. There was cooing and warm whispers and the settling of bedsheets.

It was barely a moment later when she stood in front of the window, opening it with a difficulty she didn't have earlier that night. She looked up and glared at him. Hiei merely stared back, impassive.

"I can't sleep when you're disturbing the fledglings," she said obtusely. He frowned down at her and crossed his arms defiantly. She took a seat on the window's edge, her bottom effectively covering the marks on the wood. The glare in her eyes made him want to lick his lips with unease and was disturbed by how upset he had become as of late. She tilted her hand, chasing the light from her eyes, and the urge disappeared as quickly as it had come about.

"I'm not a child," she said suddenly, brows pulled downward with irritation. "You don't have to watch over me like a two-year old in a cutlery shop."

"There are dark things around these parts," he told her neutrally. Like dragons and half-dead lovers. "You're powers are still too young to be controlled on a night like tonight."

She scowled. "I'm controlling them just fine. I know you were _spying_ on me," she snapped. "You're _always_ watching me, like you're expecting a miracle or a disaster at every turn."

Which was true, he thought. He watched her with hope that Thorn was still there, the humanity and the demonicness shining through eerie eyes and seductively manipulative expressions.

The quiet soaked into the space between them and the words echoed through the empty wind that was the passing of time. Too little, too late? Too much, too fast?

"Tell me, Hiei," she said at last, her eyes having strayed to the foliage draped in tones of gray and finally off the black-clad youkai. Said demon stiffened only in the grip of his fingers on his arms, ready for something to justify her treason or her innocence.

"Why do you trust me?"

"I don't," he said quickly. And the lie tasted sour on his tongue. But he _couldn't_ trust her. Not without knowing if the wolf had been black or white, or if there were scales instead of fur, that had been roaming the woods.

"You do," she said quietly, and there was a falter of fatigue in her voice. Hiei's gaze jerked toward her and there was a pinch to her face that hadn't been there a moment before, a startling line of uncertainty that consumed her expression.

He jumped down onto the sill just as she made to abandon it. The expression vanished and in its place was once more a glare and the smooth expression of distrust. He put his face close to hers, glaring back just as fiercely, Jagan burning under the clothe that covered it.

"Why don't you tell Yukina she's your sister?"

The question made Hiei's face close off in sudden rage.

"What are you talking about?" he growled, voice threateningly low.

"I can see it," was the defiant retort. "You can't hide it from me. She's _precious_ to you." And there was innuendo in the tone, and there were unspoken words.

_Like Thorn was_.

He grabbed her chin and her arms came up to press against his chest, disallowing any closer contact.

"You don't know anything," he spat. She snorted and there was a smirk that pulled at her lips that he wanted to punch away. How dare she assume that she knew about anything concerning him?

"You love her."

And he didn't know what she was saying. Aloud, it was Yukina, someone so precious to him as to make him decide to live through the agony of getting the Jagan Eye. Underneath it was Thorn. And Thorn... she wasn't precious. She was the _enemy_.

"You stay out of it. It's none of your business," he snarled quietly at her. He released her with a jerk and pursed his lips and tried to calm his energy levels before the woke the household.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it and looked away. She slipped off the sill, leaving Hiei to stare after her with a glare that threatened to boil the Arctic.

She paused half way to the bed.

"Hiei, am I supposed to... know her? Feel her?" she asked quietly. Hiei's glare faded into bewilderment that was masked behind his anger.

"Is she feeding you memories?"

There was a humorless laugh that bordered on hysterically frightened.

"The question is, am I _stealing_ her _identity_?"

Hiei could feel the quiver of fear in her aura from across the room.

What did this girl, surrounded by such powerful people and her own strength, have to fear?

* * *

AN: w00t! Finally this chapter is OUT! Its been a while, I know, but a Private Message and one e-mail later both of which telling me to _get my ass in gear_ have inspired me to sit at my desk for two hours and pump this chapter out. It's short. It was revised until unrecognizable. Which means there are threads of the story that I must change in the future. Oh darn. Oh well :P.

Anyway, thank you all for your ongoing support! Here you go!

_**Special thanks to:**_

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: Yay! thank you so much for getting me motivated! I got your PM and was like: okay I'm doing this tomorrow after class! And vwala! Here it is! Thanks!


End file.
